IN  THE 


ANIMAL  WORLD 


I/*1'1 


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EMMASERL 


GIFT   OF 
R.D  .LINGUIST 


SERL  SERIES 
SUPPLEMENTARY  READERS 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 
HARRY  ^ 


Gift 

EDUCATION  DEPT, 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT  is  made  to  the  following  publishers 
and  authors  for  the  use  of  copyright  material,  some  of 
which  has  been  adapted:  The  Sunday  School  Times;  Pri- 
mary Education,  published  by  the  Educational  Publishing 
Company ;  Edward  Arnold,  for  "  The  Story  of  a  Donkey  " ; 
Henry  Altemus  Company,  for  "  The  Mother  Seal's  Story  " 
and  "  Father  Wolf  and  the  Pack  " ;  Houghton  Mifflin  Com- 
pany, for  "  A  Night  with  a  Wolf,"  by  Bayard  Taylor ;  and 
Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox  and  her  publisher,  W.  B.  Conkey,  for 
use  of  a  part  of  the  poem,  "  Two  Pussy  Cats." 


COPTBIOHT,  1913,  By 
SILVER,   BURDETT  AND  COMPANY. 


CONTENTS 

FLESH-EATING   ANIMALS 

I.     THE  CAT  FAMILY  PAQB 

The  Kitten 7 

William   Wordsworth 

Malta's  Babies 8 

Two  Pussy  Cats 12 

Etta,   Wheeler  Wilcox 

Androclus  and  the  Lion ....  14 

The  Tiger  Kitten 20 

The  Panther  and  the  Grizzly          .        .  30 
II.     THE  DOG  FAMILY 

Lassie,  the  Shepherd's  Dog    ...  45 

A  Matter  of  Truthfulness       ...  55 

A  Night  with  a  Wolf  ....  62 

Bayard  Taylor 

Father  Wolf  and  the  Pack     ...  65 

A  Trap 72 

III.  SEALS  AND  SEA  LIONS 

The  Mother  Seal's  Story         ...      83 

IV.  BEARS 

Baby  Black  Bear 95 

3 


PLANT-EATING   ANIMALS 

I.     GNAWERS  PAGE 

The  Beavers Ill 

Red  Squirrel 116 

Dick  and  the  Wheel        ....  125 

The  Little  Kabbit's  Escape     .         .         .  130 

The  Porcupine 137 

The  Tale  of  a  Gray  Kat          ...  143 

The  Merry  Mice 149 

II.     THE  MONKEY  FAMILY 

The  Sick  Monkey 157 

Greediness 164 

III.  THICK-SKINNED  ANIMALS 

Putting  a  Baby  Elephant  to  Bed    .         .  173 

The  Doctor  and  the  Elephant         .         .  178 

IV.  CUD  CHEWERS 

Zara,  the  Camel 189 

The  Mother  Deer  and  her  Little  One     .  198 

V.     THE  HORSE  FAMILY 

Bucephalus 215 

The  Story  of  a  Donkey  .         .        .        .221 


THE  OAT  FAMILY 


THE  KITTEN 


See  the  kitten  on  the  wall, 
Sporting  with  the  leaves  that  fall, 
Withered  leaves  —  one  —  two  —  and  three  — 
From  the  lofty  elder-tree ! 
Through  the  calm  and  frosty  air 
Of  this  morning  bright  and  fair, 
Eddying  round  and  round  they  sink. 


<M^  . 


But  the  kitten,  how  she  starts, 
Crouches,  stretches,  paws,  and  darts; 
First  at  one,  and  then  its  fellow 
Just  as  light  and  just  as  yellow ;     _ 
There  are  many  now  —  now  one  —  _  j[ 
Now  they  stop,  and  there  are  none. 

—  WILLIAM 


7;  "'^Vi 

V.r^w 

•  £9 

""  w« 


lM? ' 


/^'" 


MALTA'S  BABIES 


Malta  had  lost  all  her  kittens,  and 
she  was  very  lonesome.  She  had 
hunted  for  them  and  called  them,  but 
nowhere  could  they  be  found. 

She  disappeared  for  a  few  days,  and 
when  she  returned  she  carried  some- 
thing very  carefully  in  her  mouth. 
She  took  it  to  the  box  in  the  barn 
where  her  little  ones  had  been  and 
put  it  gently  down.  She  went  away 
again  and  soon  returned  with  another 

little   one   like   the   first.     Now   there 

8 


were  two  babies  in  the  box,  and  Malta 
seemed  contented. 

To  be  sure,  they  were  not  like  her 
own  little  ones ;  these  had  bushy  tails 
and  bright  eyes.  They  did  not  like 
to  be  washed  as  kittens  ought,  but 
Malta  held  them  with  her  paws  and 
scrubbed  them  as  she  thought  best. 
Soon  they  were  large  enough  to  leave 
the  box  and  frisk  about  on  the  floor. 

One  day  Malta  brought  them  a  live 
mouse,  but  they  did  not  seem  to  care 
for  it.  "Mew,  mew,"  she  said,  "  come 
and  play  with  this  nice  mouse."  But 
the  little  ones  only  looked  at  it  and 
got  out  of  its  way  when  it  came  too 

9 


close.  Malta  decided  that  they  must 
be  very  stupid  kittens. 

The  next  week  she  took  them  into 
the  garden;  she  thought  she  would 
teach  them  how  to  climb  a  tree,  but 
they  needed  no  showing ;  up  the  trunk 
they  ran  in  a  way  Malta  had  never 
seen  kittens  go.  They  frisked  and 
frolicked  among  the  branches  until 
poor  Malta  grew  frightened. 

A  few  weeks  later  the  squirrels  left 
good  Mother  Malta  and  went  to  live 
in  the  old  maple  tree. 

Malta  watches  them  sometimes  when 
she  lies  on  the  porch  in  the  sun- 
shine. Such  queer  children  she  never 

10 


saw.  There  are  some  things  she  can- 
not understand ;  it  is  of  no  use  to  try, 
so  she  curls  herself  up  and  takes 

another  nap. 

11 


TWO  PUSSY  CATS 


THE  PET  CAT 

Dainty   little   ball  of   fur,  sleek  and  round  and 

fat, 
Yawning    through    the    lazy    hours,   some    one's 

household  cat. 
Lying    on    a    bed   of    down,    decked    in    ribbons 


What  a  pleasant  life  you  lead,  whether  night  or 
day. 

Romping    through    the    house    at    will,    racing 

down  the  hall, 

|U    Full  of  pretty  playful  pranks,  loved  and  praised 
by  all. 

12 


Wandering    from    room    to    room    to    find    the 

choicest  spot, 
Favored  little  household  puss,  happy  is  your  lot. 

II 

THE  TRAMP  CAT 

Poor  little  beggar  cat,  hollow-eyed   and   gaunt, 
Creeping   down   the    alleyways    like    a   ghost   of 

want, 
Kicked  and  beat   by  thoughtless   boys,  bent  on 

cruel  play, 
What  a  sorry  life  you  lead,  whether  night  or  day. 

Hunting  after  crusts  or  crumbs,  gnawing  meat- 
less bones, 
Trembling  at  a  human  step,  fearing  bricks  and 

stones, 
Shrinking    at    an    outstretched    hand,    knowing 

only  blows, 

Wretched  little  beggar  cat,  born  to  suffer  woes. 

—  ELLA  WHEELER  WILCOX 
13 


ANDROOLUS  AND  THE  LION 


Long  ago  in  the  great  city  of  Rome 
there  lived  a  slave  named  Androclus. 
His  master  was  a  cruel  man,  and  the 
poor  slave  received  blows  and  harsh 
words  from  morning  until  night. 

At  last  Androclus  felt  that  he  could 
stand  this  treatment  no  longer ;  so  he 
ran  away  and  hid  in  the  forest. 
There  he  ate  berries  and  ripe  fruit, 
and  at  night  he  slept  in  a  cave  among 


One     morning   very   early,    he    was 
awakened  by  the  loud  roars  of  a  lion. 

14 


Androclus  sprang  up  in  great  fright 
and  saw  the  huge  beast  standing  at 
the  door  of  the  cave.  Again  the  lion 
roared,  and  the  poor  slave  felt  sure 
that  he  should  be  killed. 

The  animal  came  farther  into  the 
cave,  and  Androclus  noticed  that  some- 
thing seemed  to  be  the  matter  with 
one  of  his  paws.  He  held  the  foot 
up  and  whined  as  if  in  great  pain. 

At  last  Androclus  took  hold  of  the 
paw  to  look  at  it.  There  in  the  soft 
part  of  the  foot  was  a  great  thorn. 

The  lion  seemed  to  know  that 
man  in  the  cave  could   help  him 
held  quite  still  for  his  foot   to  be 
15 


this 


^^ 

'    ,^; 

n+tfttflS* 


;he 


amined.  Androclus  took  hold  of  the 
thorn  with  his  fingers,  then  gave  a 
quick  pull,  and  it  was  out.  The  great 
beast  leaped  about  like  a  dog  and 
licked  the  hands  and  face  of  Androclus. 

The  slave  and  the  lion  now  lived 
together  in  the  cave.  They  slept 
side  by  side,  and  often  they  hunted 
together  in  the  wood. 

But  one  day  some  soldiers  found 
Androclus  and  took  him  back  to 
Rome.  There  he  was  put  into  prison 
and  tried  for  running  away  from  his 
master.  He  was  condemned  and  sen- 
tenced to  fight  a  wild  animal  in  the 
arena. 

16 


The  day  for  the  fight  came,  and 
great  crowds  of  people  went  to  see 
the  dreadful  sight.  The  emperor  sat 
on  a  high  throne,  and  the  seats  round 
about  were  filled  with  thousands  of 
eager  people. 

For  days  a  great  lion  had  been 
kept  in  a  cage  without  food.  The 
poor  slave  was  brought  into  the 
arena,  the  doors  of  the  cage  were 
opened,  and  the  hungry  lion  rushed 
forth  with  a  roar.  Seeing  the  trembling 
man,  he  dashed  toward  him. 

Then  a  strange  thing  happened. 
Instead  of  tearing  the  slave  to  pieces 
as  the  people  expected,  the  lion 

17 


l 


paused,  licked  the  hands  of  Andro- 
clus, and  then  lay  down  by  his  side. 
Androclus  gave  a  cry  of  gladness  and 
threw  his  arms  around  the  neck  of 
the  great  beast,  for  it  was  the  lion 
with  whom  he  had  lived  in  the 
wood! 

The  emperor  and  the  people  were 
amazed.  Never  before  had  such  a 
sight  been  seen  in  the  arena. 

Then,  standing  before  the  throne, 
Androclus  told  of  his  cruel  master, 
°^  his  flight  to  the  wood,  of  the 
lion's  hurt  paw,  and  of  the  friendship 
between  them. 

When  he  had  finished,  the  people 
18 


cried:   "Let  them  both  go  free!     Let 
them  both  go  free  !  r> 

So  the  gates  were  opened,  and  An- 
droclus  and  the  lion  went  back  to 
the  cave  on  the  side  of  the  mountain. 

—  jfiso's  Fables. 


19 


THE  TIGER  KITTEN 

Tip  the  steep  side  of  a  mountain, 
within  a  large  cave,  the  mother  tiger 
had  made  her  home.  Here  among 
the  rocks,  three  little  tiger  kittens 
played  while  they  waited  for  their 
mother's  return. 

Soon  the  smallest  one  lifted  his 
head  and  listened ;  far  away  he  had 
heard  a  faint  call.  The  others  stopped 
their  play,  and  all  three  stood  still. 
Again  the  cry  came,  and  this  time 

there    was     no     mistaking    it  —  the 

20 


mother  tiger  was  coming  home  to  her 
little  ones. 

All  night  she  had  been  out  hunt- 
ing, and  now  it  was  past  time  for 
breakfast.  The  kittens  were  hungry. 
They  were  too  old  for  milk,  and  the 
careful  mother  daily  brought  them 
choice  bits  of  food,  —  sometimes  a 
young  bird  or  perhaps  a  piece  of  a 
sheep  that  she  had  killed  in  the 
valley. 

Nearer  the  cry  came,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment, the  beautiful  striped  mother 
leaped  gracefully  over  the  rocks  and 
into  the  cave  door.  The  little  ones 

crowded    around    her,    eager    for    the 

21 


food  she  was  bringing.  This  morning 
it  was  a  young  rabbit,  which  the 
mother  had  found  at  the  door  of  its 
burrow.  How  the  tiger  kittens  fought 
over  it!  They  growled  and  pulled, 
each  one  trying  to  get  the  largest 
piece.  At  last  the  meal  was  finished, 
and  they  lay  down  to  rest  and  sleep. 
Other  days  passed  in  the  same  way, 
and  then  the  mother  tiger  decided 
to  take  the  kittens  out  hunting  with 
her.  One  morning  she  jumped  from 
the  cave  to  the  rock  below.  There 
she  stopped  and  called.  Three  little 
kittens  looked  over  the  edge  at  her 
and  mewed,  but  all  were  afraid  to 

22 


jump.  Again  she  called,  but  not  a 
kitten  came.  After  waiting  a  moment 
the  mother  leaped  back  to  the  cave, 
and  picking  up  one  in  her  mouth, 
again  jumped  down.  Leaving  him  in 
the  grass  below,  she  went  back  for  a 
second  one  and  placed  him  by  his 
brother.  She  was  about  to  go  back 
for  the  third  time,  when  the  smallest 
kitten,  who  had  been  left  in  the  cave, 
gave  a  little  mew,  then  made  a  brave 
jump,  and  landed  in  the  soft  grass  near 

the  others- 

The  little  familv  now  moved  quietly  (ffi 
through  the  bushes,   the  mother   tiger  J 
showing  them  how  to  creep  so  as  not 

23 


srlYi 


to  be  seen  or  heard.  Soon  they  came  to 
the  river,  and  there  the  mother  made 
them  lie  still  under  some  low  trees. 
For  a  long  time  they  watched  the 
strange  things  about  them.  Birds 
were  flying  high  in  the  sky,  others 
were  singing  in  the  tree  tops,  and 
queer  little  animals  were  playing  in 
the  sunshine. 

At  noon  some  cattle  came  down  to 
the  river  to  drink.  When  they  were 
quite  near,  the  mother  slipped  quietly 
toward  a  young  calf,  made  a  great 
leap,  and  fastened  her  teeth  and  claws 
into  its  back.  The  other  animals  fled 
in  fright  while  the  tiger  dragged  her 

24 


prey  away  among  the  bushes.  Here 
mother  and  young  ones  had  a  great 
feast. 

The  next  day  the  smallest  tiger 
kitten  caught  a  fat  young  duck  that 
had  flown  down  to  the  water's  edge. 
Not  wishing  to  share  it,  he  carried  it 
up  the  bank  where  he  could  eat  it 
alone.  The  others  tried  to  follow  him, 
but  the  calls  of  the  mother  took  them 
back  to  her  side,  and  the  smallest  one 
was  left  alone  with  the  dinner  he  had 
so  cleverly  caught. 

His  rough  little  tongue  stripped  the 
flesh  from  the  bones  of  the  young 
duck  and  his  sharp  teeth  tore  it  into 

25 


shreds.  It  was  a  good  meal,  and  when 
it  was  finished,  he  looked  around  and 
wished  for  more. 

Far  down  in  the  bushes  the  mother 
tiger  was  calling,  and  he  could  hear 
the  sharp  cries  of  his  brothers  as  they 
played  together.  But  he  was  not  ready 
to  go  back.  It  was  warm  and  pleasant 
on  the  rocks  in  the  sunshine.  Here 
was  a  fine  place  for  a  sleepy  kitten  to 
take  a  nap.  He  was  just  about  to 
curl  himself  up  among  some  leaves 
and  grasses  when  there  was  a  sudden 
rush  of  wings  above  him.  Sharp  talons 
were  fastened  into  his  back,  and  he  was 
borne  swiftly  upward  through  the  air. 


The  little  one  gave  a  startled  cry  of 
fright,  but  the  eagle  only  held  him  the 
tighter.  Higher  and  higher  they  went 
over  the  trees  toward  the  eagle's  nest 
on  the  cliff  above. 

But  in  a  minute  the  little  tiger  had 
pulled  himself  partly  free.  His  sharp 
claws  tore  the  side  of  the  big  bird 
while  his  teeth  stripped  feathers  and 
flesh  from  her  neck.  The  eagle's 

hooked   bill  caught   him  by  the  back 

i 
of  his  head,  but  still  the  little  fellow 

fought. 

Deeper  and  deeper  went  the  teeth 
and  claws  of  the  tiger  kitten.  The 
eagle  began  to  fly  slower.  She  even 

27 


tried  to  drop  the  prey  she  had  so  un- 
wisely caught,  but  she  could  not  get 
rid  of  him.  More  feathers  fell  to  the 
ground  and  more  flesh  was  torn  from 
her  body. 

The  great  bird  was  growing  weak 
and  was  flying  downward.  The  tiger 
kitten  had  fastened  itself  upon  her 
side  below  one  of  the  big  wings.  With 
all  his  strength  he  still  pulled  and 
tore  until  the  eagle  could  endure  it 
no  longer.  She  made  one  more  at- 
tempt to  fly  and  then  fell  in  a  heap 
to  the  ground. 

The  mother  tiger  had  heard  the  cry 
of  her  little  one,  and  from  the  high 
-  28 


»*?»•- 


•>v 


bank  she  had  watched  the  strange  fight. 
Quickly  she  came  leaping  through  the 
bushes  to  the  place  where  the  eagle 
and  the  tiger  kitten  had  fallen. 

That  night  the  little  tiger  feasted 
upon  the  flesh  of  the  eagle.  But  for 
many  days  his  back  showed  the  marks 
rAade  by  the  talons  of  the  greatest 
bird  of  the  air. 


III' 


THE  PANTHER  AND  THE  GRIZZLY 
The  panther  stood  on  the  ledge  in 
front  of  her  den  and  watched  the  sun 
as  it  rose  over  the  tree  tops. 

For  years  the  great  panther  had 
made  her  home  in  the  cave,  and  for 
years  she  had  been  mistress  of  the 
mountain.  The  other  animals,  know- 
ing of  her  power  and  cunning,  rarely 
came  near,  and  so,  alone  on  the  steep 
slope,  she  cared  for  her  two  little 
ones. 

From  her  high  rock    she  could  see 
30 


far    down    the    valley,    and    her   keen 
eyes  watched   for  a  deer  or  elk   that 
might   wander   down    to    the   river   in      (+ 
search  of  food. 

For  days  the  snow  had  fallen,  and 
the  mountain  and  valley  were  covered 
with  its  soft  whiteness. 

Suddenly  the  mother  panther  raised 
her  head  and  listened.  Far  down  the 
mountain  side  she  heard  a  faint  sound. 
Quietly  she  moved  to  the  edge  of  the 
rock,  and  her  great  body  drew  itself 
together  for  a  spring.  From  here  she 
could  see  down  the  slope,  but  there 
was  nothing  in  sight  but  the  snow- 
covered  rocks  and  bushes. 

31 


Anxiously  she  listened  as  the  sounds 
grew  louder.  The  steps  were  not  those 
of  a  deer,  of  that  she  felt  sure  ;  nor 
could  they  be  those  of  the  small  wood 
folk.  But  surely  some  one  was  com- 
ing. The  panther  was  growing  angry. 
Her  tail  jerked  and  she  crouched  close 
to  the  narrow  ledge. 

Nearer  came  the  sounds.  Now  she 
could  hear  the  snapping  and  cracking 
of  bushes  as  a  big  body  forced  its 
way  through.  An  enemy  had  dared 
to  come  to  her  mountain,  and  that 
enemy  must  be  a  bear! 

The  great  panther  hated  bears. 
Many  times  she  had  fought  with  them 

32 


in  the  valley,  but  never  before  had 
one  dared  to  come  to  her  den.  Her 
body  remained  rigid,  but  her  tail 
lashed  the  ground  in  front  of  the  cave. 
Faint  cries  came  from  the  little  ones 
inside,  and  she  moved  closer  to  the 
door  of  the  den. 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  sounds. 
A  moment  more  and  a  big  animal 
lifted  itself  to  the  ledge.  The  mother 
panther  gave  a  startled  look  at  the 
great  shape,  —  it  was  not  one  of  the 
black  bears  of  the  valley,  but  the 
tierce  grizzly  from  across  the  river! 

She  crouched  closer  to  the  cave, 
for  she  well  knew  that  she  had  no 

33 


chance  in  a  fight  with  this  ferocious 
beast.  She  could  easily  save  herself. 
One  leap  would  cany  her  to  safety, 
but  how  could  she  save  her  babies? 
For  them  she  must  fight  even  this 
strong,  fierce  foe. 

The  waiting  panther  did  not  stir 
until  the  grizzly  was  quite  close. 
Then  with  a  quick  spring  she  began 
the  fight.  Her  slender  body  leaped 
to  and  fro,  but  the  heavy  paws  of 
the  great  bear  shot  forth  with  won- 
derful quickness.  Inch  by  inch  the 
grizzly  forced  his  way  to  the  mouth 
of  the  den,  while  the  mother  panther 
fought  furiously  with  teeth  and  claws. 

34 


Then  suddenly  both  animals  stopped  ! 
From  above  them  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain  came  a  sound  of  snapping 
twigs  and  crashing  trees.  The  pan- 
ther glared  at  her  foe,  while  the 
bear,  startled  by  the  strange  noise, 
sat  back  on  his  haunches  and  listened. 

From  the  top  of  the  cliff  a  few 
stones  fell,  more  stones  and  snow 
followed,  and  then  a  great  mass  of 
snow  and  ice  slid  down,  sweeping 
everything  before  it.  It  fell  to  the 
ledge,  and  carrying  with  it  panther 
and  grizzly,  dropped  to  the  foot  of 
the  precipice. 

A  moment  later  the  panther  shook 
35 


the  snow  from  her  tawny  sides  and 
leaped  back  up  the  slope  to  her  little 
ones.  After  a  while  the  pile  of  snow 
at  the  foot  of  the  cliff  began  to  move, 
and  soon  an  enormous  grizzly  pushed 
his  way  out  of  the  drift,  walked  slowly 
down  the  valley,  and  crossed  to  the 
mountain  on  the  other  side. 
36 


THE  CAT  FAMILY 

lion  leopard          wild  cat 

tiger  puma  lynx 

panther  jaguar  domestic  cat 

The  members  of  the  cat  family  are 
graceful  animals  with  long  bodies, 
round  heads,  keen  eyes,  pointed  ears, 
sharp  teeth,  long  whiskers,  and  soft 
paws.  In  their  paws  are  sharp,  curved 
claws  that  can  be  thrust  out  and  drawn 
in.  Their  bodies  are  covered  with 
thick,  soft  fur.  The  tongues  of  all  the 
animals  of  this  group  are  rough ;  this 

37 


roughness  aids  them  in  pulling  the 
meat  from  the  bones  of  the  animals 
they  catch ;  it  is  also  of  use  in  cleaning 
their  beautiful  fur.  Their  food  con- 
sists  of  smaller  animals  and  birds. 
Most  of  these  animals  hunt  at  night, 
for  in  the  dark  their  eyes  become  larger 
so  as  to  take  in  every  ray  of  light. 


The  lion  is  called  the  King  of  Beasts 
because  of  its  great  strength  and  also 
because  it  is  not  afraid  to  attack  any 
other  animal.  Its  color  is  a  tawny 
yellow,  lighter  on  the  under  parts  of 
the  body  and  darker  above.  The  lion 
when  full  grown  has  a  thick,  shaggy 

38 


mane  of  long  hair,  which  grows  from 
the  neck  and  shoulders.  The  tip  of 
the  tail  is  decorated  with  a  tuft  of  dark 
hair.  The  lioness  is  not  so  large  as 
her  mate  and  has  no  mane.  Lions  are 
found  in  Africa  and  the  warm  coun- 
tries of  Asia. 

The  tiger  is  almost  as  large  as  the 
lion.  Its  body  is  nearly  covered  with 
black  and  yellow  stripes.  Like  the 
lion,  it  makes  its  home  in  the  jungles 
of  Asia  and  Africa. 

The    panther   and    leopard    are    not 
so   large    as   the    tiger.      Their   bodies 
are   covered   with   dark    spots.      They    * 
are   able   to   climb   trees;    there,    hid- 

39 


den  among  the  branches,  they  watch 
for  their  prey  and  spring  upon  it  as 
it  passes  on  the  ground  beneath  them. 
The  panther  is  to  be  found  in  parts 
of  America.  The  leopard  lives  in 
Asia  and  Africa. 

The  puma  is  called  the  American 
lion.  Its  shrill  scream  may  some- 
times be  heard  in  the  mountains  of 
the  west.  Like  the  leopard  and  the 
panther,  it  springs  upon  its  prey  from 
the  branches  of  trees.  Unlike  most  of 
the  other  members  of  this  group,  it  is 
not  satisfied  with  catching  a  single  an- 
imal ;  but  when  meeting  a  herd  of  cat- 
tle or  a  flock  of  sheep  it  will  kill  as 
40 


many  as  it  can,  sucking  a  little  blood 
from  each  one.  It  has  been  known  to 
kill  fifty  sheep  in  one  night. 

The  jaguar  is  in  many  respects  like 
the  leopard.  Its  golden  yellow  coat 
is  marked  with  dark  spots.  It  is 
strong  and  fierce,  and  often  attacks 
animals  much  larger  than  itself.  It 
is  found  in  unsettled  parts  of  America. 

The  wild  cat  is  larger  than  the 
domestic  cat.  It  was  once  common 
in  the  thick  woods  of  America,  but 
is  now  to  be  found  only  in  the  thinly 
settled  parts.  It  is  ferocious  and  kills 
large  numbers  of  small  animals  and 
birds. 

41 


The  lynx  is  less  fierce  than  most 
of  the  other  animals  of  this  group. 
It  hunts  hares,  rabbits,  and  other 
small  prey.  Its  fur  forms  a  valuable 
article  of  commerce.  The  lynx  is 
found  in  Europe  and  in  the  northern 
and  western  parts  of  the  United  States. 

The  domestic  cat  is  a  pet  in  many 
homes.  It  is  clean  in  its  habits  and  is 
less  noisy  than  the  dog.  It  is  affec- 
tionate, and  often  shows  surprising  in- 
telligence. 


42 


THE  DOG  FAMILY 


LASSIE,   THE  SHEPHERD'S  DOG 

Away  up  in  the  mountains  there 
lived  a  father  and  mother  and  Paul, 
a  dear  little  boy,  not  quite  four  years 
old. 

The  father  was  a  shepherd,  and 
every  day  with  the  help  of  his  faith- 
ful dog,  Lassie,  he  cared  for  a  large 
flock  of  sheep  that  fed  on  the  fresh 
grass  in  the  valley. 

Each  morning  when  Lassie  and  the 
father  started  to  take  the  sheep  to 
their  pasture,  the  little  fellow  cried 
to  go  too. 

45 


"  See  how  he  wants  to  go  with 
you/'  said  the  mother.  "When  he  is 
older,  he  will  help  you  care  for  the 
sheep.77 

"  Let  me  take  him  to-day/'  said 
the  father.  "  We  shall  not  go  far. 
If  he  gets  tired,  Lassie  can  carry  him 
on  her  back." 

So  the  mother  packed  a  lunch,  and 
the  three  started  dowrn  the  valley, 
driving  the  sheep  before  them. 

The  sun  shone  and  the  air  was 
bright  and  warm. 

How  happy  little  Paul  was!  He 
laughed  and  talked  as  he  held  to  his 
father's  hand  or  sometimes  rode  on 
46 


his  shoulder.  At  noon  they  ate  their 
lunch  by  the  side  of  the  river  that 
flowed  through  the  valley.  Then  the 
father  spread  his  coat  upon  the 
ground,  and  the  little  boy  slept  in 
the  shade  of  a  big  tree.  When  he 
awoke,  the  sun  was  not  shining, 
clouds  had  spread  over  the  sky,  and 
a  fog  was  settling  down  in  the  valley. 

"  We  must  take  the  sheep  home," 
said  the  shepherd.  "  There  is  going 
to  be  a  storm."  Calling  Lassie,  he 
sent  her  to  collect  the  scattered  flock. 

"My  son,"  the  father  said,  "you 
must  wait  here  by  this  big  tree. 
When  the  sheep  are  together,  I  will 
47 


come  and  carry  you  home.  Now  be 
sure  not  to  move  away  from  this 
place/7 

"All  right,  Father/7  was  the  an- 
swer, and  the  shepherd  went  back  to 
his  sheep. 

Soon  the  fog  grew  thicker  and 
darker.  The  rain  began  to  fall,  and 
the  lightning  flashed.  Some  of  the 
sheep  had  wandered  far  away,  and 
the  shepherd  had  trouble  in  finding 
them.  At  last  the  father  returned 
for  his  little  son.  He  easily  found 
the  big  tree,  but  no  boy  was  near  it. 
Paul,  0  Paul,"  he  called,  but  no 
answer  came  except  the  crash  of  the 
48 


thunder.  Greatly  frightened,  the  anx- 
ious father  searched  first  in  one  direc- 
tion, then  in  another.  Surely  the 
little  fellow  could  not  have  gone  far. 
The  river  in  the  valley  was  rapidly 
rising.  What  if  the  boy  had  fallen  in ! 

Up  the  valley  he  could  hear  the 
sharp  barks  of  Lassie  as  she  drove 
the  sheep.  Perhaps  the  child  had 
followed  her  home.  Paul  and  Lassie 
were  good  friends ;  he  must  have 
seen  the  dog  as  she  passed  with  the 
sheep. 

Eagerly  the  father  ran  toward  his 
home,  feeling  sure  that  he  would  find 
the  boy  there.  When  he  reached  the 

49 


cottage,  the  mother  was  standing  at 
the  door  waiting  for  them,  but  no 
little  Paul  was  by  her  side. 

Together  the  frightened  parents 
went  out  into  the  storm  to  search  for 
their  little  son.  Back  and  forth,  all 
night,  they  wandered  through  the  valley. 

"I  don't  see  where  Lassie  can  be," 
said  the  father.  "  If  she  were  only 
here,  she  might  help  us.77 

The  mother  told  how  Lassie  had 
brought  the  sheep  home,  and  how  to- 
gether they  had  driven  them  into  the 
fold.  Then  as  soon  as  the  sheep 
were  safe  inside,  Lassie  had  disap- 
peared and  had  not  been  seen  since. 

50 


Next  morning  while  the  father  went 
to  ask  the  neighbors  to  help  him,  the 
tired  mother  returned  alone  to  the 
cottage.  As  she  sat  crying  in  their 
little  home,  suddenly  she  heard  the 
bark  of  Lassie.  Quickly  the  woman 
ran  to  the  door  and  let  the  dog  in. 

"Poor  Lassie!71  she  cried.  "How 
tired  you  look!  You  must  be  hungry 
too.  Do  you  want  something  to 
eat?" 

Two  sharp  barks  were  the  answer, 
and  the  woman  placed  on  the  floor 
part  of  a  loaf  of  bread.  Without 
stopping  to  eat  it,  Lassie  seized  it  in 
her  mouth  and  ran  away. 

51 


"  How  strange ! r>  said  the  woman. 
"  I  never  knew  Lassie  to  act  that  way 
before." 

Neighbors  did  not  live  near,  and  it 
was  almost  noon  before  the  father 
returned  with  two  men  to  help  him. 
All  day  they  searched  through  the 
valley  and  up  the  mountain  side,  but 
no  trace  of  the  lost  boy  did  they 
find. 

That  evening  Lassie  again  came  to 
the  house  and  begged  for  something 
to  eat.  When  food  was  given  her, 
she  picked  it  up  as  before  and  dashed 
away  with  it. 

"  I  wish  we  had  gone  with  the 
52 


dog,"  said  one  of  the  men.  "  Per- 
haps she  could  find  the  boy." 

Next  morning  the  dog  came  again 
for  food,  and  as  she  left  the  father 
followed  her.  Lassie  carried  the 
bread  in  her  mouth,  but  this  time 
she  trotted  slowly  ahead  of  her  master. 

Down  the  valley  the  dog  went, 
straight  to  the  big  tree.  There  she 
turned  toward  the  bank  of  the  river. 
Climbing  over  the  steep  cliff,  she 
jumped  to  a  large  rock  below. 

The  shepherd  followed  her  with 
difficulty,  but  when  he  reached  the 
space  below,  a  strange  sight  met  his 
eyes.  There  in  a  cave,  back  of  the 

53 


big  rock,  was  Lassie ;  sitting  on  the 
ground  near  her,  eating  the  bread  she 
had  brought,  was  the  lost  boy. 

The  little  fellow  must  have  wan- 
dered from  the  big  tree,  and  in  the 
dark  rolled  over  the  cliff  to  the  rock 
below.  The  swift  water  of  the  river 
in  front  of  him  and  the  steep  cliff 
behind  had  kept  him  in  the  cave. 
Here  Lassie  had  found  him,  and  here 
she  had  cared  for  him. 

Soon  in  the  little  cottage  on  the 
mountain  side  the  happy  mother  held 
her  son  in  one  arm,  while  the  other 
clasped  the  neck  of  Lassie,  the  faith- 
ful dog. 

54 


A  MATTER  OF  TRUTHFULNESS 

Early  one  morning,  Mark  Lewis 
was  awakened  by  a  low  whining  un- 
der his  window. 

He  j umped  quickly  out  of  bed  and 
ran  to  the  open  window.  He  looked 
out,  and  there  by  the  side  of  the 
house  he  saw  a  brown  and  white 
puppy. 

Mark  hurried  down  and  opened  the 
door.  The  little  dog  came  in  quickly, 
glad  to  get  near  a  warm  stove  once 
more.  In  a  minute  his  cold  black 
nose  was  deep  in  a  dish  of  milk,  and 

55 


it    did    not    come    out    until    the    last 
drop  was  gone. 

Mark  and  his  brothers,  Fred  and 
Charlie,  begged  so  hard  to  keep  the 
dog  that  at  last  Mother  said  they 
might.  The  boys  gave  him  the  name 
of  Bob  and  began  at  once  to  teach 
him  some  tricks. 

A  few  days  later  they  were  play- 
ing with  him  in  front  of  the  house. 
Mark  had  a  ball  which  he  threw  for 
Bob  to  chase.  Sometimes  he  thought 
it  was  better  fun  not  to  throw  the 
ball  but  only  to  make  the  motion. 
Then  the  children  would  laugh  at 
Bob's  effort  to  find  it. 
56 


While  they  were  playing  in  this 
way,  the  doctor  drove  along  and 
stopped  to  see  what  they  were  doing. 
When  he  had  watched  a  few  minutes, 
he  called  them  to  his  carriage  and 
said:  "Boys,  I  am  sorry  to  see  that 
you  are  lying  to  your  dog.  He  has 
only  a  small  dog's  mind.  He  cannot 
think  things  out  for  himself  as  you 
can.  When  you  make  a  motion  as  if 
to  throw  the  ball,  he  trusts  you. 
He  thinks  you  mean  to  throw  it,  and 
when  you  do  not  throw  it,  you  really 
tell  him  a  lie.  By  and  by,  he  will 
learn  that  he  cannot  trust  you,  and 
then  he  will  not  do  what  you  tell 

57 


him  to.     You  ought  never  to  lie  to  a 
dog." 

This  seemed  funny  to  the  boys  at 
first,  but  they  all  liked  the  doctor 
and  so  they  stopped  fooling  Bob.  In 
time  he  became  so  well  trained  that 
he  would  do  anything  his  young  mas- 
ters told  him  to  do,  if  only  he  could 
understand  what  they  meant. 

Best  of  all  he  liked  to  bring  things 
out  of  the  water.  When  the  boys  sent 
him  in,  Bob  was  sure  to  find  there  some- 
thing that  should  be  brought  to  land. 

As  the  months  passed,  Bob  grew  to 
be  a  big  dog,  the  constant  friend  and 
playfellow  of  the  children. 
58 


One  afternoon  in  summer  they  all 
went  down  to  the  edge  of  the  pond. 
While  Mark  and  Charlie  were  playing, 
little  Fred  climbed  on  to  a  big  rock 
that  reached  out  into  deep  water. 
All  at  once  there  was  a  splash  and 
a  scream,  and  Fred  was  gone.  He 
had  slipped  from  the  rock! 

The  boys  ran  down  the  bank,  but  Fred 
was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  In  their 
fear  both  screamed  as  loud  as  they 
could.  A  second  later  Bob  came 
running  through  the  bushes,  barking 
as  much  as  to  say :  "  What  is  the 
matter?  Do  you  want  me?" 

Instantly  both  boys  had  the  same 
59 


thought.  Bob  could  do  what  they 
could  not.  Each  made  the  motion  of 
throwing  something  into  the  water 
and  cried,  "In,  Bob,  in!  Go  fetch 
it!" 

With  a  great  splash  Bob  leaped 
clear  of  the  rock,  and  began  to  swim 
in  a  circle.  He  had  not  made  even 
one  turn  when  Fred's  head  came  up 
near  him.  The  dog  did  not  have  to 
be  told  what  to  do.  He  knew  that 
he  was  there  to  get  something,  so  he 
fastened  his  teeth  in  the  child's  coat 
collar,  and  in  half  a  minute  had 
pulled  him  into  shallow  water  where 
his  brothers  could  drag  him  out. 

60 


That  evening  when  the  doctor  came, 
he  was  told  how  Fred  had  been  saved. 
He  patted  Bob's  head  tenderly,  and 
then  turning  to  the  boys  he  said, 
"  Now,  do  you  see  why  it  is  best 
never  to  lie  to  a  dog?  " 


61 


A  NIGHT  WITH  A  WOLF 


Little  one,  come  to  my  knee ; 

Hark  how  the  rain  is  pouring 
Over  the  roof  in  the  pitch-black  night, 

And  the  winds  in  the  woods  are  roaring. 

Hush,  my  darling,  and  listen, 

Then  pay  for  the  story  with  kisses  ; 

Father  was  lost  in  the  pitch-black  night, 
In  just  such  a  storm  as  this  is. 

High  up  in  the  lonely  mountains, 

Where  the  wild  men  watched  and  waited, 

Wolves  in  the  forest  and  bears  in  the  bush, 
And  I  on  my  path  belated. 

I  crept  along  in  the  darkness, 

Stunned  and  bruised  and  blinded  — - 

62 


Crept  to  a  fir  with  thick-set  boughs, 
And  a  sheltering  rock  behind  it. 

There,  from  the  blowing  and  raining, 
Crouching,  I  sought  to  hide  me  ; 

Something  rustled,  two  green  eyes  shone, 
And  a  wolf  lay  down  beside  me. 

Little  one,  be  not  frightened : 

I  and  the  wolf  together, 
Side  by  side,  through  the  long,  long  night, 

Hid  from  the  awful  weather. 

His  wet  fur  pressed  against  me ; 

Each  of  us  warmed  the  other ; 
Each  of  us  felt  in  the  stormy  dark, 

That  beast  and  man  were  brother. 

And  when  the  falling  forest 
No  longer  crashed  in  warning, 

Each  of  us  went  from  our  hiding-place 
Forth  in  the  wet  wild  morning. 

63 


Darling,  kiss  me  in  payment ; 

Hark,  how  the  wind  is  roaring ; 
Father's  house  is  a  better  place 

When  the  stormy  rain  is  pouring. 

—  BAYARD  TAYLOR 


64 


FATHER  WOLF  AND  THE  PACK 


It  was  very  cold.  The  streams 
were  covered  with  ice,  and  the  whole 
land  was  white  with  snow. 

The  wolves  were  hungry.  They  had 
not  had  anything  to  eat  for  days  and 
days. 

"  When  shall  we  have  some  dinner, 
Father?77  whined  the  little  wolves. 
' '  Please  bring  us  something  to  eat ; 
we  are  so  hungry.77  y 

And  Grayfur,  the  poor  father  wolfs 
didn't  know  what  to  say. 

65 


// 


That  evening  as  they  were  all  lying 
close  together,  trying  to  keep  warm, 
there  came  a  long,  low  howl  from  one 
of  the  neighbor  wolves.  This  was 
answered  by  another  wolf,  and  then 
by  another,  and  another.  Even  the 


I  little   ones   knew   what   it   meant;    it 


was  the  gathering  of  the  pack. 

Grayfur  started  out  and  went  toward 
the  forest  to  meet  the  other  wolves. 
They  seemed  to  come  from  every  direc- 
tion, and  soon  there  was  a  large  num- 
ber talking  and  growling  together.  All 
were  hungry  and  eager  to  be  off  on 
the  hunt. 

Presently  a  large  wolf,  the  leader  of 
66 


the  pack,  stepped  forward.  "  Broth- 
ers/7 he  said,  "  are  you  hungry?" 

What  a  howl  there  was,  to  be 
sure ! 

"  Then  follow  me,'7  was  the  answer. 

He  turned  and  began  to  trot  slowly 
through  the  woods.  The  other  wolves 
threw  up  their  heads  and  yelped  for 
joy  as  they  bounded  after  him. 

Grayfur  wondered  where  they  were 
going.  After  a  time  they  left  the 
woods  and  w^ere  out  in  the  open  fields. 
The  old  leader  kept  up  a  steady  trot 
across  the  snow,  and  the  pack  followed 
as  closely  as  they  could. 

Grayfur  had  never  been  so  far  away 
67 


from  the  forest  before.  What  could 
they  be  going  to  catch? 

Presently  the  old  leader  stopped  and 
sniffed  at  the  ground,  then  threw  up 
his  head,  howled,  and  started  on  again. 
Grayfur  sniffed  the  ground  too,  and 
found  a  little  hole  in  the  snow,  then 
another,  and  another,  and  then  a  long 
line  of  them.  He  knew  what  they 
were  ;  they  were  the  footsteps  of  men  ! 
It  was  a  road,  and  the  old  leader 
was  taking  them  to  a  village ! 

Grayfur  understood  now  that  they 
were  going  to  attack  the  village  ;  per- 
haps they  might  find  something  to 
eat,  but  it  was  very  bold.  He  had 

68 


never  done  such  a  thing  before.  How- 
ever, he  thought  to  himself  that  there 
were  a  good  many  others  with  him ;  so 
he  ran  on.  He  was  very  hungry,  and 
so  were  his  little  ones  at  home. 

After  they  had  gone  on  a  little 
farther,  the  old  leader  stopped,  and 
all  the  other  wolves  gathered  around 
him.  "Now,"  he  said,  "each  one  must 
find  his  dinner  for  himself.  Over  there 
in  the  village  are  sheep  and  goats  and 
pigs  and  chickens,  but  remember  there 
are  also  men  and  dogs !  Let  each  one 
go  his  own  way  and  find  what  he 
can ! '  Then  he  darted  off  like  a  shot 
and  was  lost  in  the  darkness. 

69 


Grayfur  stopped  a  moment ;  then  he 
too  set  off.  He  ran  until  he  came 
close  to  a  cottage,  where  he  saw  a 
light  burning  in  a  window.  Quietly 
he  crept  around  the  house ;  at  the 
back  he  found  a  pen  in  which  were 
sheep  crowded  close  together. 

"  Here  is  my  dinner/7  said  Grayfur 
to  himself,  and  in  less  than  no  time 
he  had  jumped  over  the  fence  and 
was  among  the  sheep. 

Just  then  from  the  front  of  the 
house  there  came  the  loud  barking  of 
dogs  and  the  shouting  of  men.  Soon 
the  whole  village  was  awake  and  every- 
one was  looking  after  his  property. 

70 


But  Gray  fur  was  off  by  this  time, 
running  home  as  fast  as  he  could  go ; 
and  that  evening  the  little  wolves  had 
a  fat  young  lamb  for  dinner. 


71 


A  TRAP 

At  the  foot  of  a  hill  near  the  bank 
of  the  river,  there  lived  three  young 
foxes. 

Their  mother  had  left  them  and 
had  made  a  home  for  herself  far 
down  the  valley.  For  several  months 
she  had  cared  for  them  and  brought 
food  to  them,  but  now  she  knew  that 
they  were  large  enough  to  look  out 
for  themselves. 

Sometimes  the  three  little  foxes 
slept  in  the  hollow  log  near  the  door 
of  their  home,  sometimes  they  played 

72 


among  the  bushes,  and  every  night  they 
hunted  in  the  woods  and  fields  near  by. 

Often  they  were  hungry,  for  it  was 
not  always  easy  to  find  a  dinner ;  and 
then,  sometimes,  they  had  more  than 
enough  to  eat. 

One  evening  as  the  largest  one 
started  out,  he  ran  straight  toward  ; 
the  river.  There  the  wild  ducks  and 
other  water  birds  made  their  nests 
among  the  weeds  and  rushes.  They 
were  not  hard  to  catch,  and  many  a 
choice  meal  had  the  young  fox  eaten 
there. 

But  this  night  not  a  duck  could  he 
find.  Once  he  caught  the  smell  of 

73 


some  kind  of  bird,  and  followed  it  for 
a  short  distance  only  to  find  an  empty 
nest.  The  bird  had  flown. 

He  went  still  farther  down  the 
bank,  but  no  dinner  was  in  sight. 
Then  turning,  he  ran  up  the  hill  and 
through  a  field  of  grain  on  the  other 
side.  A  field  mouse  ran  across  his 
path.  He  stopped  and  caught  it ;  a 
few  feet  farther  he  caught  another. 
They  were  good,  but  not  enough  for 
a  hungry  fox. 

At  the  edge  of  the  field  he  found 
a  rabbit  sitting  near  the  door  of  its 
home.  That  would  be  a  fine  feast  if 
he  could  get  it.  Slyly  the  fox  crept 

74 


through  the  bushes,  but  just  as  he 
was  ready  for  a  great  spring,  the 
rabbit  leaped  into  its  burrow.  In 
vain  the  fox  dug  in  the  ground  with 
his  strong  claws;  no  rabbit  did  he  get. 

Still  hungry,  he  turned  again 
toward  the  river.  Suddenly  he 
stopped.  Surely  he  caught  the  scent 
of  fresh  meat !  He  ran  rapidly  in 
the  direction  of  the  good  smell.  Soon 
he  was  close  to  the  river,  and  with 
every  step  the  scent  grew  stronger 
and  better. 

A  few  more  jumps  and  the  hungry 
fox  saw  a  fine  piece  of  juicy  meat 
fastened  to  the  twig  of  a  tree. 

75 


Here  was  a  splendid  meal,  but  the 
fox  stopped.  Something  did  not  seem 
just  right.  Slowly  he  walked  in  a 
circle  around  the  tempting  morsel. 
He  wanted  it  more  and  more  and  yet 
he  was  afraid. 

Round  and  round  he  went  in  the 
bushes,  his  nose  close  to  the  ground. 
There  was  no  trace  of  anything  wrong 
there,  no  smell  of  anything  but  the 
good  fresh  meat. 

He  jumped  to  the  bank  below  and 
carefully  examined  the  stones.  Near 
one  of  them  he  stopped.  Here  was 
a  .  different  scent.  Again  and  again 
the  fox  sniffed  the  ground.  Then  he 

76 


turned  from  the  tempting  smell  and 
walked  slowly  away,  -  -  for  near  the 
stone  was  the  trace  of  a  man's  foot! 
Though  the  fox  was  young,  he  well 
knew  the  meaning  of  that  smell. 
That  fine  fresh  meat  was  only  the 
bait  of  a  trap  which  the  man  had 
carefully  placed  in  the  bushes. 

The  fox  leaped  over  the  stones, 
and,  as  he  ran  up  the  hill  in  the 
moonlight,  he  seemed  to  laugh  at  the 
man. 


77 


f 


THE  DOG  FAMILY 


wolf 
fox 


coyote 


jackal 
dog 

The  animals  of  the  dog  family 
have  thick  coats  of  hair,  strong  jaws, 
and  long,  sharp  teeth.  Their  sense  of 
smell  is  keen,  and  they  are  able  to 
follow  the  scent  of  an  animal  for  a 
long  distance.  The  animals  of  the 
cat  family  use  both  teeth  and  claws 
in  catching  their  prey,  but  these  ani- 
mals can  bite  so  much  harder  that 
they  do  not  need  the  help  of  sharp 
claws; 

78 


The  wolf  looks  much  like  a  large, 
shaggy  dog.  Wolves  sometimes  hunt 
in  packs ;  they  are  then  fearless  and 
dangerous.  They  are  found  in  all  the 
northern  countries  of  the  world. 

The  fox  is  not  so  large  or  strong 
as  the  wolf.  It  is  an  enemy  of  the 
farmer  because  of  the  many  chickens 
it  kills.  The  fur  of  some  kinds  of 
foxes  is  very  valuable. 

The  coyote,  or  prairie  wolf,  is  about 
one  third  smaller  than  the  gray  wolf, 
but  in  form  and  color  they  are  much 
alike.  The  food  of  the  coyote  con- 
sists of  rabbits,  prairie  dogs,  hares, 
and  other  small  animals, 

79 


The  jackal  is  a  little  larger  than 
the  fox.  It  is  found  in  some  parts 
of  Asia  and  Africa.  It  often  follows 
larger  animals  and  eats  the  parts  of 
their  prey  which  they  may  leave. 

The  dog  is  the  friend,  companion, 
and  helper  of  man.  Dogs  have  been 
taught  to  search  for  persons  lost  in 
the  snow,  they  aid  their  masters  in 
hunting,  they  have  many  times  saved 
people  from  drowning,  and  are  of 
great  help  to  shepherds  in  caring  for 
sheep.  In  cold  countries,  dogs  are 
used  to  draw^  sledges  and  are  able 
to  travel  long  distances  over  the  ice 
and  snow. 

80 


SEALS  AND  SEA  LIONS 


THE  MOTHER  SEAL'S  STORY 
Far   away  up    in    the    north,    midst 
the  ice  and  snow,  there  lived  a  family 
of    seals,  —  a    father  seal,    a    mother 
seal,  and  a  little  baby  seal. 

The  baby  seal  swam  about  in  the 
water  and  had  all  sorts  of  games  with 
the  other  little  seals  who  lived  close 
by.  Sometimes  he  climbed  up  on  to 
the  rocks,  and  then  as  he  lay  by  his 
mother's  side,  she  told  him  stories  of 
what  happened  to  her  when  she  was 
a  little  seal.  The  story  he  liked  best 

83 


of  all  was  what  he   called    the    "  Man 
Story." 

He  used  to  say  to  his  mother, 
"Tell  me  the  Man  Story  again, 
Mother." 

And  his  mother  would  say,  "  Why, 
I've  told  you  that  so  many  times, 
dear;  wouldn't  you  like  a  new  story?  " 

But  the  little  seal  would  answer, 
"  No,  I  want  the  Man  Story,  Mother. 
I  like  that  best." 

Then  the  mother  seal  would  begin, 
"  Long,  long  ago,  when  I  was  a  little 
baby  seal  —  " 

"As  little  as  I,  Mother?"  the  little 
seal  would  ask. 

84 


"  Yes,  smaller  than  you  are  now, 
my  dear,"  the  mother  would  reply. 
"  I  used  to  live  here  with  my  father 
and  mother,  and  one  day  as  we  were 
swimming  about  in  the  sea,  we  saw 
a  great  big  thing  like  a  rock,  with 
wings,  come  sailing  along  on  the  top 
of  the  water.  I  learned  afterwards 
that  it  was  called  a  ship.  It  came 
nearer  and  nearer;  then  it  stopped, 
and  a  little  thing  called  a  boat  was 
let  down  into  the  water.  It  came 
swimming  along  toward  us,  and  we 
heard  the  most  beautiful  music  com- 
ing from  it.  Now,  you  know  we  all 
like  music  very  much ;  so  we  swam 

85 


nearer  to  the  boat  to  listen.  When 
we  got  quite  close,  we  saw  that  there 
were  some  funny-looking  creatures 
sitting  in  it." 

"  Oh,  those  were  men,  weren't  they, 
Mother?71  the  little  seal  would  say. 

11  Yes,  dear,"  the  mother  seal  would 
answer.  "  They  seemed  to  be  quite 
friendly,  and  they  made  the  sw^eet 
music  for  us.  But  that  night  we 
noticed  that  some  of  our  friends  were 
missing,  arid  we  did  not  know  what 
had  become  of  them.  A  few  days 
later  my  mother  did  not  come  home. 
She  had  been  out  to  listen  to  the 
music.  We  waited  and  waited,  but 

86 


she  did  not  come  back.  The  next  day 
I  heard  that  she  would  never  come 
home  any  more.  She  had  been  taken 
away  by  those  men  ;  it  was  they  who 
had  caught  all  our  friends.  Some  of 
them  had  been  killed  —  it  seemed 
that  the  men  wanted  their  skins  to 
make  extra  skins  for  themselves  — 
and  others  had  been  taken  alive  and 
shut  up  in  the  ship.  They  had  cap- 
tured my  mother  —  I  am  glad  to  say 
she  wasn't  killed  —  and  put  her  on 
the  ship  with  a  large  number  of  seals 
and  sea  lions.  They  were  all  carried 
away  to  the  far,  far  south." 

"  And  what   did   the    men    do  with 
87 


them  there,  Mother?71  the  little  seal 
would  ask,  though  he  knew  the  answer 
quite  well. 

"  They  took  them  away  to  a  far 
country,"  replied  the  mother  seal, 
"  and  put  them  in  a  sort  of  cage.  I 
believe  they  were  well  treated.  They 
were  given  water  to  swim  in  and  fish 
to  eat,  and  they  were  taught  all  sorts 
of  tricks,  but  they  were  not  free  and 
happy  as  they  once  were." 

:'Is  that  all  the  Man  Story,  Mother?" 
the  little  seal  would  say. 

"Yes,  dear,"  the  mother  always 
answered.  "  The  men  haven't  come 
again,  and  if  they  did,  we  should 

88 


know   better    now,    and    shouldn't    go 
near  them  to  be  caught.77 

"No,"  the  little  seal  would  say,  "I 
shall  never  be  caught  by  men." 


89 


SEALS  AND  SEA  LIONS 
seal  walrus  sea  lion 

These  animals  are  formed  like  fish, 
and  their  limbs  and  feet  resemble  fins. 
Their  bodies  are  covered  with  two  lay- 
ers of  soft  fur,  which  protect  them  from 
the  icy  water  in  which  they  spend 
much  of  their  time.  In  the  water  they 
swim  and  dive  with  great  swiftness, 
but  on  land  they  move  slowly  and  awk- 
wardly. 

The  seal  is  found  on  the  coast  of 
Iceland  and  in  other  cold  countries. 
90 


Its  head  looks  like  that  of  a  big  dog. 
Its  food  consists  of  fish,  which  it  catches 
while  swimming  in  the  water.  The 
seal  is  hunted  for  its  fine  fur.  Its 
flesh  is  used  for  food,  and  the  fat  fur- 
nishes oil  for  the  lamps  of  the  Eski- 
mos. 

The  walrus  is  much  like  the  seal  in 
shape,  but  it  has  two  long  tusks  that 
grow  from  its  upper  jaw  and  extend 
downward.  From  these  tusks  some  of 
the  finest  ivory  is  obtained.  Its  prey 
consists  of  small  seals,  fish,  shrimps, 
and  other  animal  life  found  in  the  sea. 

The  sea  lion  has  upon  its  neck  and 
shoulders  a  heavy  mass  of  stiff  curly 
91 


hair  which,  because  it  resembles  the 
mane  of  a  lion,  has  given  the  creature 
its  name.  Like  the  walrus,  it  feeds 
upon  small  seals  and  fish. 


92 


BEARS 


BABY  BLACK  BEAR 

For  many  weeks  the  little  black 
bear  lived  in  the  cave,  lying  close  to 
the  side  of  his  big  mother.  Outside, 
the  ground  was  covered  with  snow 
and  ice.  The  wind  blew  and  the  air 
was  stinging  cold.  But  inside  the 
cave,  cuddled  in  his  mother's  warm 
fur,  the  baby  knew  little  of  the  win- 
ter weather. 

Once  in  a  while  the  mother  awoke 

and    licked    the    little    one    with    her 

warm,    soft   tongue,  as  he  lay  by    her 

side    or    tumbled    around    in    the    dry 

95 


leaves.  Then  they  both  slept  again, 
waiting  for  the  warm  days  of  spring. 

At  last  one  morning,  the  mother 
bear  stirred  uneasily.  Light  was 
coming  through  the  doorway,  which 
had  been  closed  all  winter  by  a  huge 
snowdrift. 

The  big  black  bear  was  hungry. 
Slowly  she  rose  and  looked  out  on 
the  world  she  had  left  last  fall.  She 
turned  to  the  baby.  He  was  still 
asleep  in  his  bed  of  leaves  and  grass. 
So  she  slipped  quietly  from  the  den 
and  climbed  up  the  mountain,  look- 
ing for  breakfast.  Among  the  bushes 
she  caught  a  young  rabbit;  it  was 

96 


not  a  large  meal  for  a  hungry  bear, 
but  she  returned  to  the  den,  and  with 
the  little  one  at  her  side,  again  went 
to  sleep. 

Every  few  days  Mother  Bear  went 
out  for  food,  while  the  baby  remained 
at  home. 

At  last  the  snow  was  gone,  the 
hills  were  covered  with  green  grass, 
and  many  animals  were  enjoying  the 
warm  sunshine.  Then  Mother  Bear 
thought  that  it  was  time  to  take  her 
cub  out  for  a  walk. 

The  little  one  followed  her  timidly 
as  she  coaxed  him  from  the  cave. 
How  strange  and  bright  everything 

97 


seemed!  He  stayed  close  to  his 
mother's  heels  for  a  few  steps,  then 
went  back  to  the  cave,  sat  down  by 
the  door,  and  whined. 

Mother  Bear  made  queer  grunting 
sounds  which  meant :  "  Don't  be 
afraid,  Baby  Bear.  Nothing  shall 
hurt  you  while  Mother  is  here." 
Baby  Bear  took  a  few  steps,  then  a 
few  more,  and  he  was  again  by  his 
mother's  side.  Slowly  they  made 
their  way  down  the  mountain,  for  the 
little  one  often  sat  down  to  rest. 

Mother    Bear   now    began    to    teach 
him  some  of   the   ways  of  the   world. 
In  the  sweet  tufts  of  grass  were  little 
98 


snails,  which  she  showed  him  how  to 
find.  With  her  big  paws  she  raised 
up  stones  and  turned  over  logs,  under 
which  the  little  cub  found  delicious 
ants  and  bugs. 

It  was  a  happy  day,  and  at  night 
Mother  Bear  lay  down  by  an  old  log, 
while  a  tired  baby  bear  cuddled  up 
beside  her  and  slept. 

Then  followed  many  happy  days. 
After  a  while  the  strawberries  were 
ripe.  Then  snails  and  ants  were 
forgotten,  and  the  little  one  climbed 
the  hills  with  his  mother  hunting 
for  the  sweet  red  fruit.  After 
the  strawberries  were  gone,  they 
99 


found  huckleberries  and  sometimes 
a  few  blackberries.  The  woodland 
seemed  to  be  filled  with  good  things 
for  hungry  bears. 

One  day  Mother  Bear  stopped  by 
the  side  of  a  big  tree  and  gave  a 
few  queer  grunts  which  meant:  "  Come 
quick !  Here  is  something  to  eat 
better  than  anything  you  have  ever 
tasted."  The  little  fellow  came  at 
once,  tumbling  down  and  rolling  part 
way  in  his  haste  to  answer  that  call. 
At  the  foot  of  the  hill  was  Mother 
Bear,  standing  with  her  paw  in  a 
hole  in  the  side  of  the  tree.  Baby 
Bear  tried  to  put  his  paw  in  too,  but 
100 


just  then  a  queer  insect  lighted  on 
his  nose  and  stung  him.  How  it 
hurt!  He  put  his  two  little  paws 
over  his  face  and  howled  and  howled. 

"Never  mind,"  grunted  Mother 
Bear.  "Here!  Eat  this."  And  she 
let  him  lick  off  the  paw  that  she  had 
drawn  out  of  the  tree. 

Baby  Bear  stopped  crying  and 
licked  the  sweet  stuff  until  it  was  all 
gone ;  then  he  smacked  his  lips  and 
whined  for  more. 

Mother  Bear  taught  him  to  put  his 

little    paw    inside    the    tree    and    pull 

out    the    honey    for    himself.     To    be 

sure  the  bees  stung  him,  but  that  did 

101 


not  matter  so  long  as  he  could  reach 
their  sweet  treasure. 

After  that,  Mother  Bear  showed  him 
how  to  find  other  bee  trees  and  how 
to  gnaw  away  the  wood  if  he  could 
not  at  once  reach  the  comb. 

One  day,  Baby  Bear  smelled  a 
strange  smell.  Mother  Bear  was 
eating  berries,  so  he  thought  he  would 
hunt  by  himself.  Up  the  mountain 
he  went,  his  head  close  to  the  ground, 
following  the  scent  that  was  different 
from  anything  his  baby  nose  had  ever 
smelled  before.  Once  he  lost  the 
trail,  but  after  wandering  around  he 
found  it  again,  and  now  he  was 
102 


coming  nearer  and  nearer  to  some- 
thing he  knew  must  be  good  to  eat. 
A  climb  up  a  steep  bank,  and  there 
at  the  top  wras  a  stick  with  a  piece 
of  fat  bacon  on  the  end  of  it.  It 
was  almost  too  high  for  Baby  Bear  to 
reach,  but  he  sniffed  at  it,  and  was 
just  about  to  give  a  little  jump  for  it 
when  Mother  Bear  suddenly  came 
through  the  bushes.  She  was  up  the 
bank  in  a  moment,  and  her  big  paw 
struck  Baby  on  the  side  of  the  head 
with  such  force  that  he  tumbled  and 
rolled  away  from  the  good-smelling 
meat.  Again  and  again  she  cuffed 
him  until  he  whined  and  howled  with 
103 


pain.  Then  in  bear  language  she  told 
him  that  the  scent  he  liked  so  well 
came  from  the  bait  of  a  trap.  "You 
must  never,  never,  never  touch  any- 
thing like  that/7  she  said. 

In  autumn  the  frost  came  and  nuts 
covered  the  ground.  Both  bears  ate 
until  they  could  eat  no  more,  and 
their  bodies  were  covered  with  thick 
layers  of  fat.  The  days  began  to 
grow  shorter,  the  wind  blew  the  leaves 
from  the  trees,  and  the  birds  flew 
away  to  the  warm  southland. 

Then  Mother  Bear  gave  her  little 
one  to  understand  that  he  must  take 
care  of  himself. 

104 


One  day  in  the  thick  woods  he 
found  a  hollow  tree  close  by  the  side 
of  a  big  rock.  He  crawled  into  it 
and  found  that  it  was  just  large 
enough  to  hold  his  black,  furry  body. 

Soon  the  snow  fell  and  the  cold 
days  came,  but  safe  and  warm  in  his 
snug  little  home,  Baby  Bear  slept  all 
winter. 


r 


'V 


-A/ 


105 


I 


BEARS 
polar  bear      black  bear      grizzly  bear 

Bears  have  heavy  bodies  covered 
with  long,  coarse  hair ;  they  have  short 
legs,  and  broad,  flat  feet  with  blunt 
claws.  They  eat  not  only  flesh  but 
vegetable  food  as  well.  They  are  found 
in  almost  all  countries  and  are  fitted  by 
nature  to  inhabit  the  hottest  as  well 
as  the  coldest  parts  of  the  world. 

The  polar  bear  or  white  bear  lives 
in  the  cold  north  countries.  Its  body 

106 


is  covered  with  heavy  white  fur.  Be- 
cause of  this  white  coat  it  can  easily 
hide  among  the  snowdrifts  and  ice. 
It  has  great  power  in  swimming  and 
diving  and  often  pursues  and  kills 
its  prey  under  water.  Its  food  con- 
sists of  fish  and  seals,  and  it  some- 
times catches  even  the  walrus. 

The  black  bear  is  found  in  the 
Eocky  Mountains.  It  usually  sleeps 
during  the  cold  months  of  winter  in 
a  cave  or  hollow  tree.  It  eats  berries, 
roots,  insects,  fish,  eggs,  birds,  and 
small  animals. 

The  grizzly  bear  is  large  and  pow- 
erful, and  is  one  of  the  most  ferocious 
107 


animals  of  North  America.  Because 
of  its  great  strength  it  is  able  to 
carry  off  an  animal  as  large  as  a 
deer. 


108 


GNAWERS 


THE  BEAVERS 


The  beavers  were  moving.  For 
many  years  they  had  lived  on  the 
banks  of  a  stream  where  they  had 
built  a  fine  dam,  but  this  summer 
there  had  been  no  rain  and  the 
bed  of  the  brook  had  become  dry. 
Little  by  little  the  pool  of  water 
back  of  the  dam  had  dried  up  until 
there  was  no  place  for  the  beavers 
to  swim  and  play. 

"  We  must  move/7    said   the   oldest 
father  beaver.     "  We   must   find   some 
place  where  we  can  have  water. " 
111 


That  night  the  big  beavers  and  the 
little  beavers  started  down  the  dry 
bed  of  the  stream.  Very  slowly  they 
went,  for  beavers  swim  much  more 
?  easily  than  they  walk. 

After  what  seemed  a  long  journey 
to  the  young  ones,  they  reached  the 
river  into  which  their  own  little 
stream  had  emptied.  They  swam  for 
about  two  miles,  and  then  the  big 
father  beaver  stopped.  He  had 
chosen  the  place  for  their  new 
home. 

Tired  from  their  long  trip,  they 
rested  all  the  next  day,  but  when 
night  came  they  were  ready  for  work. 

112 


i 


Part  of  them  swam  a  short  distance 
up  stream  to  a  place  where  many 
young  trees  grew  near  the  bank. 

They  climbed  over  the  stones  and 
began  cutting  down  the  trees  by 
gnawing  them  with  their  sharp  teeth. 
Soon  one  tree  fell  into  the  water. 
Quickly  the  branches  and  leaves  were 
taken  off,  and  it  began  to  float  down 
the  river  where  the  others  were  wait- 
ing. There  the  young  ones  stripped 
off  the  bark  to  save  it  for  winter 
food.  The  older  beavers  pulled  the 
log  to  its  place  where  the  dam  was 
to  be  built  and  piled  stones  and  mud 
upon  it.  Other  sticks  and  logs  came 

113 


floating  down,  and  these  also  were 
put  into  place. 

Thus  they  toiled  for  many  nights 
until  the  work  was  finished,  and  the 
big  father  beaver  said  it  was  the  best 
dam  he  had  ever  seen. 

Back  of  it  was  a  fine  pool,  and 
here  the  houses  of  sticks  and  mud 
were  built.  Each  little  house  had  two 
rooms :  a  bedroom  upstairs  and  a  store- 
room below,  with  the  doorway  under 
water. 

Winter  came,  and  ice  covered  the 
surface  of  the  pool.  It  froze  the  mud 
walls  and  closed  the  cracks  of  the 
beavers7  homes.  Inside  the  little 

114 


rooms,  snugly  wrapped  in  their  warm 
coats  of  fur,  the  beavers  spent  the 
long  months  until  spring  called 
them. 

115 


RED  SQUIRREL 

Red  Squirrel  and  his  mate  lived  in 
the  hollow  elm  tree  near  the  orchard. 
During  the  fall  they  had  searched  for 
acorns,  other  nuts,  and  seeds  and  had 
carried  them  into  their  snug  little 
home,  but  the  snow  had  come  early 
and  had  stopped  their  work  long 
before  they  had  gathered  enough. 
Woods  and  fields  were  covered  with 
a  soft  white  blanket,  hiding  the  food 
which  they  wished  to  store  away  for 
the  long  winter  time. 
116 


The  days  grew  colder,  and  the 
squirrels  slept  in  their  hollow  tree. 
Once  in  a  while  they  woke  up  and 
ate  from  their  scanty  store;  then, 
lying  close  together  to  keep  warm, 
they  slept  again. 

A  month  passed,  and  nothing  re- 
mained of  the  seeds  and  nuts  but  a 
few  dry  shells.  Red  Squirrel  ven- 
tured out  to  look  about,  but  he  found 
only  snow  and  ice  and  bare  trees. 
He  ran  up  the  branches  of  the  elm 
and  jumped  over  into  the  big  oak. 
There  a  few  half-frozen  birds  were 
chirping;  they  too  had  been  looking 
for  food,  but  all  the  seed  plants  were 
117 


1 1 


buried  beneath  the  heavy  white 
covering.  A  rabbit  leaped  from  its 
burrow  and  looked  for  some  tender 
twigs  or  roots,  but  finding  nothing  he 
returned  to  his  home  under  the  hazel 
bushes. 

Eed  Squirrel  scampered  up  the 
branches  of  the  oak,  hoping  that  a 
few  acorns  might  have  been  left  on 
some  of  the  twigs.  But  the  strong 
wind  had  shaken  them  all  out  of 
their  tiny  cups,  and  still  hungry,  he 
went  back  to  his  hole  in  the  elm. 

Days  passed,  and  the  squirrels 
were  nearly  starved.  Red  Squirrel 
sometimes  ran  up  and  down  the  tree, 
118 


but  his  mate  lay  in  the  nest  too 
weak  to  move. 

The  sun  shone  and  tried  to  melt 
the  thick  blanket,  but  the  cold  wind 
brought  more  gray  clouds  across  the 
sky  and  they  sent  more  snow  to  the 
frozen  ground. 

One  day,  as  Red  Squirrel  was  run- 
ning among  the  branches,  he  noticed 
something  strange  near  the  orchard 
gate.  A  boy  and  a  girl  were  coming 
toward  the  big  elm.  The  boy  had  a 
basket  with  something  in  it,  and  the 
girl  carried  a  broom. 

Greatly  frightened,  Red  Squirrel 
hurried  into  his  hole,  where  he  hid 
119 


among  the  sticks  arid  dry  leaves. 
Soon  strange  noises  could  be  heard 
outside  the  tree.  He  listened  and  at 
last,  growing  bolder,  he  climbed  up 
and  peeped  out.  What  he  saw  made 
his  eyes  sparkle  while  his  tail  jerked 
and  twitched  with  excitement. 

Down  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  the 
boy  had  swept  away  the  snow,  and  on 
the  bare  ground  the  girl  was  scatter- 
ing corn  and  wheat,  bread  crumbs  and 
cake,  and  yes --Red  Squirrel  was  sure 
of  it  -  -  there  were  a  few  nuts.  He 
was  so  surprised  that  he  forgot  to  be 
afraid,  and  in  his  eagerness  he  ran 
part  way  down  the  trunk. 

120 


But  other  little  people  of  the  woods 
were  watching  too.  Bright  eyes  looked 
from  the  tree  tops  and  peeped  from 
homes  in  the  ground  and  in  hollow  trees. 
When  the  table  was  set  and  everything 
was  ready,  the  children  stepped  back 
by  the  fence  to  see  what  would  happen. 

Eed  Squirrel  slipped  down  the  tree 
a  little  nearer,  then  he  ran  around  the 
trunk  and  peeped  at  the  good  nuts. 
Soon  a  sparrow  braver  than  the  others 
went  down  to  the  table  and  began 
pecking  at  the  cake.  A  hungry  blue 
jay  flew  down,  and  grabbing  a  kernel  of 
corn  went  back  to  the  tree  top.  A 
timid  gray  rabbit  hopped  over  to  a 
121 


piece  of  bread  and  eagerly  began  to 
eat. 

Red  Squirrel  on  the  other  side  of  the 
tree  trunk  watched  the  children,  but 
as  they  did  not  move,  he  went  nearer 
and  nearer  to  the  good  things.  Then, 
making  a  quick  jump,  he  picked  up 
one  of  the  nuts  in  his  mouth  and  in 
a  moment  was  back  up  the  tree  and 
into  the  hole  to  his  hungry  mate. 
Leaving  the  precious  food  by  her  side, 
he  ran  back  again  to  the  feast. 

The  other   little  animals  and   birds 

had  become  less  afraid,  and  in  a  short 

time   the   table   was    entirely   cleared, 

but  not  before  Red  Squirrel  had  car- 

122 


ried  several  nuts  and  some  grains  of 
corn  to  his  nest. 

Day  after  day  the  children  came, 
bringing  good  things  for  their  hungry 
guests.  The  little  people  of  the  wood 
soon  became  so  tame  that  it  was  hardly 
possible  to  brush  away  the  snow,  so 
eager  were  they  for  their  dinner.  Every 
day  Red  Squirrel  watched  from  his 
hole  until  the  gate  was  opened.  Then 
ciosely  followed  by  his  little  mate,  he 
scampered  down  the  tree,  ran  about 
the  table,  and  sometimes  even  climbed 
into  the  basket  to  help  himself. 

So  passed  the  weeks  until  the  sun 
and  the  warm  south  wind  drove  the 
123 


snow  away.  Then  the  children  closed 
their  boarding  house,  but  often  during 
the  spring  and  summer  they  came  to 
see  their  little  friends  of  the  woodland. 
124 


DICK  AND  THE  WHEEL 

I  do  not  know  which  Frank  thought 
the  more  of,  his  bicycle  or  Dick. 

The  bicycle  he  had  bought  with  his 
own  money,  and  Dick  was  a  little 
gray  squirrel  which  his  uncle  had 
given  him  for  a  birthday  present. 

Frank  had  taught  Dick  many  tricks. 
He  would  say,  "Dick,  let  me  see  you 
crack  this  nut,"  and  Dick  would  sit 
up  on  his  hind  legs,  hold  the  nut  in 
his  paws,  and  crack  it  with  his  teeth. 

There  was  nothing  Dick  liked  so 
125 


much  as  to  sit  on  Frank's  shoulder 
when  he  rode  his  wheel.  How  his  little 
bead  eyes  would  shine  as  he  lay  on 
his  master's  shoulder.  If  Frank  rode 
slowly,  then  Dick  would  sit  upright, 
with  his  long  plumy  tail  curled  up 
behind  him,  or  he  would  sometimes 
skip  down  to  the  handle  bars  and 
ride  there. 

One  morning  last  summer,  Frank 
came  into  the  house  and  called : 
"Dick!  where  are  you?  Don't  you 
want  to  take  a  ride?" 

Dick  jumped  from  behind  the 
door,  ran  out  on  to  the  porch,  and 
seated  himself  on  the  wheel,  as  much 
126 


as  to  say,  "  If  you  please. "  His 
master  laughed  heartily,  and  off  they 
started. 

They  had  a  fine  time  until  they 
went  down  a  long  hill  on  the  way 
home.  Here  a  sharp  rock  threw 
Frank  from  his  wheel.  He  was  not 
hurt,  but  when  he  scrambled  to  his 
feet  Dick  w^as  nowhere  to  be  found. 

Up  and  down  the  street  Frank 
went,  whistling  and  calling,  but 
no  squirrel  appeared.  He  .looked  up 
in  the  trees,  down  in  the  gutter,  and 
over  the  fence  in  the  pasture.  It 
was  the  strangest  thing  howT  Dick 
could  have  disappeared  so  suddenly! 
127 


For  nearly  an  hour  Frank  searched, 
but  it  was  of  no  use,  and  so  at  last  he 
rode  sadly  home. 

A  happy  thought  came !  Perhaps 
he  would  find  Dick  at  the  house. 
But  neither  his  mother  nor  his  sister 
had  seen  anything  of  the  squirrel. 

"  He  must  have  gone  back  to  the 
woods/'  said  Frank  in  a  husky  voice. 
Tears  came  into  his  eyes,  and  he 
reached  into  his  pocket  for  his  hand- 
kerchief. . 

How  he  jumped  as  he  touched 
something  soft  and  furry,  and  then  — 
Dick  leaped  right  out  of  the  pocket 
on  to  the  table!  He  sat  up  on  his 

128 


1 


hind  feet  and  blinked  his  funny  little 
eyes  as  much  as  to  say:  "  What  in 
the  world  is  all  this  fuss  about? 
Such  a  fall  as  that,  Master  Frank, 
was  too  much  for  me.  I  jumped 
into  your  pocket,  and  it  has  taken 
me  all  this  time  to  get  over  that 
tumble." 

129 


THE  LITTLE  RABBIT'S  ESCAPE 

The  little  rabbit  was  tired  of  his 
home  at  the  end  of  the  burrow.  All 
his  short  life  had  been  spent  with 
his  four  brothers  and  sisters  in  that 
little  nest  made  of  dry  grass  and 
lined  with  benches  of  his  mother's 
soft  fur. 

Mother  Bunny  had  left  all  the 
little  ones  asleep  that  morning  when 
she  went  out  to  look  for  food,  but 
this  little  one  had  waked  up  before 
the  others.  He  raised  his  head  and 
130 


i 


listened  to  the   sounds  he   heard  out- 
side. 

He  was  the  largest  and  strongest 
rabbit  in  the  nest.  Once  he  had 
hopped  to  the  end  of  the  burrow 
where  the  light  was,  but  Mother 
Bunny  had  found  him  there  and  had 
driven  him  back. 

The  sounds  that  came  from  the 
big  world  were  feint  and  seemed  far 
away.  He  felt  that  he  must  go 
where  he  could  hear  better,  and  he 
wanted  to  see  the  wonderful  things 
outside.  Quietly  he  hopped  along 
the  passageway  until  a  great  light  ^r\ 
shone  in  his  eyes.  How  warm  and 
131 


u  fine  it  was  there  in  the  doorway,  and 
what  queer  sounds  came  from  all 
around.  He  stood  up  on  his  hind 
feet,  raised  his  long  ears,  and  lis- 
tened. 

The  wind  blew  and  the  leaves 
made  soft  music,  birds  sang  in  the 
branches,  and  crickets  chirped  in  the 
grass.  All  was  new  and  wonderful 
and  strange  to  the  little  rabbit.  He 
went  outside  the  door  just  a  little 
way.  There  he  could  hear  and  see 
better.  A  squirrel  chattered  from 
the  top  of  a  tall  tree  and  dropped 
an  acorn  near  him.  He  hopped 
quickly  back  into  the  burrow,  but 
132 


I 


after  waiting  a  few  minutes  he  again 
hopped  outside,  this  time  venturing 
farther. 

A  big  toad  jumped  near  and  looked 
at  him  with  his  big  eyes.  A  robin  sat 
on  a  fence  and  chirped  at  him,  but 
the  little  rabbit  was  not  afraid. 
Everything  seemed  to  be  coaxing  him 
away  from  his  home.  Every  minute  in 
this  new  world  was  making  him  braver. 
He  found  some  fresh  green  grass  and 
something  seemed  to  tell  him  that 
this  was  good  to  eat.  He  tried  it 
and  found  that  he  wanted  more.  He 
ate  a  while,  then  paused  to  listen  to 
the  strange  sounds. 

133 


Suddenly  he  noticed  a  different 
noise,  such  a  queer  rustling  sound. 
Something  was  moving  very  softly 
yet  swiftly  in  the  bushes.  A  great 
fear  came  to  the  little  rabbit.  Here 
was  danger!  He  must  get  back 
home  at  once.  He  gave  two  wild 
leaps  and  then  stopped,  wrhile  the  very 
life  seemed  to  go  out  of  his  little 
body.  Between  him  and  the  burrow 
was  a  long,  spotted  creature  with  a 
narrow  head  and  two  bright,  cruel 
eyes!  As  these  eyes  looked  at  him, 
the  little  rabbit  sank  to  the  ground 
close  to  the  side  of  an  overhanging 
rock. 

\    cr289G^w 

134 


I 


Slowly  the  snake  glided  nearer, 
while  the  rabbit  could  do  nothing 
but  look  at  those  strange,  dreadful 
eyes.  Closer  to  the  rock  he  pressed 
his  little  body ;  already  he  could 
hear  the  hiss  of  the  snake  as  the 
poisonous  fangs  were  darted  toward 
him,  and  then --a  shadow  passed 
over  the  ground. 

The  snake  stopped  suddenly  and- 
raised  his  head.  He  knew  the  mean- 
ing of  that  swiftly  moving  shadow. 
He  turned  as  though  in  search  of  a 
place  to  hide,  but  he  was  not  quick 
enough.  From  the  sky  above  came  a 
flash  of  black  wings,  and  into  the  back 
135 


of  the  snake,  sharp  talons  were  fast- 
ened. Another  moment,  and  the  hawk 
had  carried  her  prey  to  a  nest  in  the 
tree  top. 

Then  a  trembling  little  rabbit  hopped 
back  into  the  burrow  on  the  side  of  the 
hill,  where  he  sank  down  too  weak  to 
move,  and  there  Mother  Bunny  found 
him  when  she  came  home  that  night. 
136 


— **"    '  *»•,,, 


THE  PORCUPINE 

All  day  the  little  porcupine  had 
been  asleep  in  the  hollow  log  where 
he  made  his  home,  but  as  soon  as  the 
sun  went  down,  he  awoke,  stretched 
himself,  and  wished  for  something  to 
eat. 

He  pushed  his  way  through  the  nar- 
row opening  that  served  as  a  doorway 
and  looked  about  him.  It  was  grow- 
ing dark,  just  the  time  for  him  to  get 
his  supper. 

Slowly  and  clumsily  he  climbed  up 
the  hillside,  the  spines  on  his  tail 
137 


rattling  as  he  went.  He  found  ripe 
strawberries  growing  in  the  grass, 
while  in  the  bushes  were  tender  stems 
and  twigs.  What  more  could  a  young 
porcupine  ask  for  a  meal? 

A  brook  that  ran  near  by  seemed 
to  sing,  "Come  and  drink!/7  but  the 
porcupine  did  not  notice.  Little  cared 
he  for  water  when  juicy  fruit  was  near. 

Just  as  he  was  reaching  for  a  fine 
big  berry,  a  sound  of  snapping  twigs 
was  heard.  The  porcupine  stopped, 
raised  his  sharp  little  ears,  and 
listened.  Some  animal  was  coming 
through  the  bushes ! 

He  was  too  far  away  to  hide  in  his 
138 


hollow  log,  and  his  legs  were  too  short 
for  running.  There  was  but  one  thing 
to  do.  Quickly  he  curled  himself  up  in 
a  round  ball  and  thrust  out  the  sharp 
quills  that  covered  his  body. 

A  moment  later  a  large  gray  fox 
jumped  through  the  bushes.  The 
little  porcupine  lay  without  moving, 
while  the  fox  walked  slowly  around 
him.  The  gray  fox  had  seen  such 
animals  before,  and  he  knew  that  it 
would  not  be  wise  to  try  to  touch 
one.  Still,  the  smell  was  good,  and 
the  fox  was  hungry.  Carefully  he 
gave  the  prickly  ball  a  push  with  his 
foot.  Then  there  was  a  howl  of  pain, 
139 


and   the  fox   leaped  away  with  some 
sharp   spines  in  the   soft  part  of   his 


When  the  danger  was  gone,  the 
porcupine  drew  the  quills  back  into 
their  hiding  place,  uncurled  his  soft 
little  body,  and  went  slowly  back  into 
the  woods.  There  he  hunted  for  ten- 
der roots  until  he  again  heard  sounds 
of  snapping  twigs. 

Again  the  quills  came  out,  and  a 
prickly  ball  lay  on  the  ground,  as  a  big 
black  bear  and  her  cub  came  down 
the  hillside.  The  baby  bear  followed 
the  scent  that  led  to  the  strange  ball 
of  spines. 

•  140 


"  Don't  touch  it,"  growled  the 
mother.  "  You  will  get  hurt  if  you 
do." 

But  the  cub  had  his  nose  to  the 
ground.  He  liked  the  smell  of  this 
strange  little  animal;  surely  it  must 
be  good  to  eat. 

"  Come  away,"  growled  Mother  Bear 
again.  "  You  can't  eat  such  things." 

But  Baby  Bear  did  not  heed. 
Going  closer  to  the  ball,  he  gave  a 
quick  snap.  Poor  Baby  Bear!  His 
soft  little  nose,  lips,  arid  mouth  were 
filled  with  sharp  quills.  With  loud 
squeals  and  howls  of  pain  he  ran 
back  and  forth  through  the  woods. 
141 


The  young  porcupine  again  drew  in 
his  spines  and  finished  his  evening 
meal  in  peace ;  but  it  was  many 
days  before  the  little  bear  got  rid  of 
the  troublesome  quills. 


142 


THE  TALE    OF  A  GRAY  RAT 


Of  all  the  rats  for  miles  around 
Whiskers  was  the  quickest,  the  strong- 
est, the  most  daring.  He  could  run 
faster  and  jump  higher  than  any  of 
them. 

He  was  fond  of  all  good  things  to 
eat,  but  the  thing  he  liked  best  of 

all  was  cake. 

His  home  was  a  small,  round  room 

with  a  long  hall.     On  one  side  of  the 

room  was   a   soft   nest,    made   of   bits 

of  hay,  and  lined  with    tiny  pieces  of 

143 


-^    / 

'// 


paper.  Here  the  five  Whisker  babies 
slept  and  ate ;  they  were  too  little  to 
do  anything  else.  The  hall  went 
down  into  the  ground  for  a  long  way, 
and  then  up,  with  its  front  door  under 
the  cellar  steps.  Whiskers  had  chosen 
this  place  for  a  home  because  there 
was  always  plenty  of  cake  in  the 
cellar. 

The  people  who  lived  in  the  house 
wished  that  Whiskers  would  go  some- 
where else.  They  were  fond  of  cake 
too,  but  they  didn't  like  it  nibbled 
or  with  great  pieces  bitten  out.  So 
they  tried  to  get  rid  of  him. 

One  night  the  rat  found  a  tempting 
144 


piece  of  meat  on  the  shelf.  He  was 
hungry  for  meat,  so  he  went  to  it. 
He  stopped  and  sniffed  at  it.  He 
could  smell  something  else  besides 
meat,  something  that  he  had  smelled 
before.  At  first  he  could  not  think 
what  it  was ;  then  all  at  once  he  re- 
membered. When  he  was  a  very 
young  rat  his  mother  had  said  to 
him,  "  Never  eat  anything  that  smells 
like  that;  if  you  do,  it  will  kill  you. 
It  killed  your  father. " 

When  the  people  in  the  house  found 

that   Whiskers   had    not    touched    the 

meat,    they    said,     "The    rat    doesn't 

like  meat;  we  will  put  the  poison  on 

145 


some  cake."*  They  did,  but  Whiskers 
smelled  the  same  smell  and  wouldn't 
even  taste  it.  He  began  to  understand 
that  the  people  in  the  house  wished 
to  kill  him,  so  he  was  careful  to  test 
everything  before  he  ate. 

One  night  not  long  after,  he  saw 
a  cat  on  the  stairway.  Pussy  kept 
still  when  she  saw  him  and  waited 
for  him  to  come  out. 

"Oho!"  laughed  Whiskers,  "not 
yet;  just  wait  awhile."  Then  he 
called  five  of  his  friends,  and  together 
they  went  to  the  cellar. 

Pussy  jumped  for  the  first  rat,  and 
the  four  others  jumped  for  her. 

146 


They  bit  her  ears  and  face  until 
Pussy  fled  to  the  top  of  the  steps 
and  stayed  there,  too  frightened  to 
move. 

Then  the  rats  had  a  big  feast. 
They  nibbled  or  carried  away  every- 
thing that  was  on  the  shelf. 

"There  is  only  one  thing  we  can 
do,"  said  the  people  of  the  house; 
"we'll  get  a  dog." 

The  next  day  Whiskers  heard  a 
great  barking  in  the  cellar.  He  ran 
along  his  hall  as  far  as  he  dared 
and  looked.  A  dog  was  digging  at 
the  hole  under  the  cellar  steps  and 
barking. 

147 


"What  is  it?"  asked  Mrs.  Whisk- 
ers. 

"  We'll  have  to  move/'  said  Whisk- 
ers; "I  can't  fight  a  dog/7 

Mrs.  Whiskers  was  trembling  all 
over ;  the  barking  of  the  dog  had  so 
frightened  her. 

"  Let  us  go  to-night,"  she  said. 
And  they  did. 


148 


THE  MERRY  MICE 


The  merry  mice  stay  in  their  holes, 
And  hide  themselves  by  day; 

But  when  the  house  is  still  at  night 
They  all  come  out  to  play. 

They  climb  upon  the  pantry  shelf, 
And  taste  of  all  they  please  — 

They  drink  the  milk  that's  set  for  cream, 
And  nibble  bread  and  cheese. 

But  if  they  chance  to  hear  the  cat, 
Their  feast  will  soon  be  done  — 

They'll  scamper  off  to  hide  themselves, 
As  fast  as  they  can  run. 

Some  tiny  mice  live  in  the  fields, 

And  feed  on  flies  and  corn, 
And  in  a  pretty  hanging  nest 

The  little  ones  are  born. 

149 


When  winter  comes  they  burrow  holes, 

And  line  them  soft  with  hay; 
And  while  the  snow  is  on  the  ground 
They  sleep  the  time  away. 

—  Selected 


150 


GNAWERS 


beaver  hare          squirrel 

porcupine        rabbit  .    prairie  dog 

The  gnawers  are  so  called  because 
they  have  four  sharp,  chisel-shaped 
teeth  that  are  specially  fitted  for  gnaw- 
ing through  hard  substances.  Their 
food  consists  principally  of  bark,  the 
roots  of  trees,  woody  stems,  and  even 
nuts  and  stony  seeds.  The  animals 
of  this  family  are  weak  and  timid. 
They  seldom  fight  an  enemy,  but  de- 
pend upon  saving  themselves  by  run- 
151 


ning    away.      These   animals   are    also 
called  rodents. 


The  beaver  is  one  of  the  largest  ani- 
mals of  this  group.  It  shows  a  won- 
derful instinct  in  constructing  a  dam 
in  the  stream  or  river  near  which  it 
makes  its  home.  Many  beavers  work 
together  in  forming  these  dams,  which 
are  composed  of  logs,  the  branches 
of  trees,  stones,  and  mud. 

The  body  of  the  porcupine  is  cov- 
ered with  sharp  quills,  which  can  be 
extended  or  drawn  back  into  its  soft 
fur.  It  eats  fruit,  bark,  roots,  and 
the  leaves  of  many  plants. 
152 


The  hare  does  not  live  in  a  burrow 
as  the  rabbit  does,  but  makes  a  nest 
among  the  dry  grass  and  leaves. 
Hares  frequently  injure  young  trees 
and  often  destroy  the  crops  of  the 
farmer  by  nibbling  the  tender  blades 
of  wheat  and  other  grain. 

The  rabbit  is  smaller  than  the  hare 
but  closely  resembles  it  in   form.     It. 
lives  in  burrows  which  it  digs  in  the 
ground.     The    mother   rabbit  forms   a 
soft   nest   at   the   end   of   the   burrow 
composed  of  hay,  dry  leaves,  and  fur 
torn  from  her  body.     Here  the  young 
rabbits  are  kept  until  they  are  strong 
enough  to  care  for  themselves. 
153 


The  squirrel  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  our  small  animals.  It 
has  bright  eyes,  soft  fur,  and  a  bushy 
tail.  It  makes  its  home  in  the  hollow 
trunk  of  a  tree,  where  it  lays  away  a 
store  of  food  for  winter. 

The  prairie  dog  is  found  on  the 
western  plains.  A  number  of  them 
live  together  and  make  their  homes 
in  burrows. 

Other  members  of  this  family  are 
the  rat,  mouse,  muskrat,  guinea  pig, 
field  mouse,  chipmunk,  gopher,  flying 
squirrel,  and  woodchuck. 


154 


THE  MONKEY  FAMILY 


THE  SICK  MONKEY 


Away  in  the  forest  in  Africa  the 
mother  monkey  and  her  young  one  had 
been  caught  in  a  trap.  The  struggles  of 
the  mother  and  the  cries  of  the  little  one 
did  not  save  them.  They  were  placed 
in  a  large  basket  and  carried  on  the 
back  of  a  savage  many  miles  to  the 
seashore,  where  there  was  a  great  ship. 

There  the  monkeys  were  taken  from 
the  basket  and  placed  in  a  box  with 
bars  across  the  front.  Greatly  fright- 
ened, the  mother  held  her  little  one  in 
157 


her  arms  and  tried  to  hide  him  from 
the  curious  people  who  came  to  look 
at  them. 

On  board  the  ship,  the  box  was  placed 
in  a  low,  dark  room  under  the  deck. 
For  weeks  the  ship  was  rocked  and 
tossed  by  the  waves,  and  down  under 
the  deck  the  mother  monkey  still  held 
her  little  one. 

At  last  the  big  engines  stopped. 
People  passed  to  and  fro  on  the  deck 
and  into  the  hold,  and  the  box  was 
taken  up  into  the  sunshine  again. 

Here  was  a  new  and  strange  world. 
The  little  monkey  trembled,  and  the 
frightened  mother  hugged  him  closer. 

158 


A  wagon  came  and  carried  them 
away  through  the  crowded  streets. 
Between  the  bars  the  mother  could 
see  great  piles  of  stone,  yet  they  were 
not  like  the  rocks  on  the  mountains. 
She  drew  back  in  the  far  corner  of 
the  box  and  turned  away  from  the 
strange  sights. 

At  last  the  wagon  stopped  inside 
the  gates  of  a  big  park. 

"Here,    keeper,"    called   the   driver, 
"here  are  the  new  monkeys  you  have  J 
been  so  anxious  about." 

A  man  came  quickly  to  the  side 
of  the  wagon. 

"The    big    one    is    fine,"    he    said, 

159 


"but  the  little  one  does  not  seem 
well.  The  long  sea  voyage  has  been 
too  hard  for  him.  We  will  put  them 
into  the  big  cage  at  oncp." 

The  bars  were  opened,  and  the 
monkeys  were  in  their  new  home. 
Other  monkeys  were  chasing  each  other, 
swinging  from  bars,  and  eating  nuts 
and  fruit.  A  few  of  them  stopped 
their  play  to  look  at  the  newcomers. 
Two  or  three  chattered  to  them,  but 
the  mother  did  not  heed.  Anxiously 
she  watched  her  little  one.  He  lay 
with  his  eyes  closed  and  did  not  move 
even  when  the  keeper  came  again  to 
see  them. 

160 


In  the  corner  of  the  cage  was  soft 
straw,  and  here  the  mother  fixed  a 
bed.  For  two  days  the  little  fellow 
lay  there  or  was  carried  in  his  mother's 
arms. 

Then  one  morning  he  opened  his 
eyes  and  looked  about  him.  The  sun 
was  shining,  and  the  world  was  bright 
and  beautiful.  Slowly  he  climbed  out 
of  his  bed  and  crept  across  the  floor. 
By  the  side  of  the  cage  was  the 
keeper,  who  offered  him  a  choice  bit 
of  food. 

This  man  was  a  strange  creature 
to  the  little  monkey  from  Africa,  but 
the  other  monkeys  did  not  seem  to 

161 


be  afraid  of  him.  Even  the  mother 
took  things  from  his  hand. 

The  little  fellow  slipped  up  to  his 
mother's  side,  and  then  he  too  took  a 
piece  of  the  tempting  food.  It  was 
good,  so  good  that  he  took  another 
piece,  and  still  another. 

Then  he  sat  in  the  sunshine  and 
watched  the  other  monkeys  swing  and 
play  on  the  highest  bars.  The  mother 
ventured  to  leave  him  a  few  minutes 
while  she  talked  with  an  old  monkey 
in  the  next  cage.  Each  day  brought 
good  food  and  bright  sunshine  for  the 
young  one,  and  each  day  gave  him 
new  strength. 


The  next  week  a  frisky  little  mon- 
key chased  his  mother  up  one  side 
of  the  cage  and  down  the  other, 
chattered  and  played  with  the  mon- 
keys, and  begged  for  nuts  and  fruit 
from  the  boys  and  girls  who  came 
to  watch  him. 

"  The  little  one  is  all  right  now," 
said  the  keeper.  "He  is  the  bright- 
est, cutest  monkey  in  the  park." 

163 


GREEDINESS 

One  Saturday  afternoon,  Ralph's 
father  took  him  to  the  Park  to  see 
the  animals. 

T,here  were  lions,  tigers,  bears,  ele- 
phants, seals,  and  many  other  kinds 
of  animals,  but  what  pleased  the  boy 
most  was  the  monkeys. 

Ralph  had  a  bag  of  peanuts,  which 
the  monkeys  must  have  smelled,  for 
they  reached  out  their  hands,  expect- 
ing to  be  fed. 

One  big  monkey  reached  out  farther 
than  the  rest,  and  just  as  Ralph  was 
164 


about  to  give  him  a  peanut,  he  snatched 
the  whole  bagful  and  ran  off  with  it 
as  fast  as  he  could  go. 

Then  the  fun  began.  All  the  other 
monkeys  began  to  chase  him,  up  and 
down  the  sides  of  the  cage,  across  the 
top,  then  to  the  top  of  the  big  bare  tree 
that  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  space. 

All  this  time  the  big  monkey  held  the 
peanuts  so  tight  in  his  paw,  that  by 
and  by  there  came  a  little  hole  in  the 
bottom  of  the  bag.  It  grew  and  grew 
until  there  was  a  large  hole  where  the 
little  one  had  been.  First  one  peanut 
fell,  then  another,  and  another,  until 
there  was  none  left  in  the  bag. 
165 


Down  below,  the  monkeys  were  hav- 
ing a  feast,  scrambling  over  each  other 
as  monkeys  do,  pushing  each  other  out 
of  the  way,  as  long  as  the  peanuts 
continued  to  fall. 

The  greedy  monkey  had  been  run- 
ning so  fast  that  he  knew  nothing  of 
what  was  going  on.  At  last  he  sat 
down  on  a  bar  at  the  top  of  the  cage 
to  eat  his  peanuts.  Slowly  he  opened 
the  bag,  grinning  as  he  thought  of  the 
fine  treat  he  was  to  have,  but  to  his 
surprise  there  wrasn't  a  peanut  left; 
nothing  but  a  paper  bag  with  a  hole 
in  it! 

—  Adapted  from  Primary  Education 
166 


THE  MONKEY  FAMILY 

gorilla  orang-outang 

chimpanzee         baboon 
These    animals    can    use    both    hind 
feet   and   front  feet  as   hands,  and  so 
are  known  as  "four-handed  animals.77 
They     are     sometimes     called     u  man- 
shaped   animals/7  because   their  shape 
and   actions   are   somewhat   like   those 
of  human  beings.     They  feed  on  nuts, 
fruits,      and      other     vegetable      food. 
Some    members    of    this    family    are 
found  in  nearly  all  warm  countries. 
The     gorilla     is     the     largest     and 
167 


strongest  animal  of  this  group.  It 
lives  in  the  thick  jungles  of  Africa  and 
is  so  ferocious  that  it  will  attack  a  man. 

The  chimpanzee  is  also  found  in 
Africa.  It  lives  on  the  ground  and 
spends  much  of  its  time  under  rocks 
and  in  caves.  When  captured,  this 
animal  may  be  taught  to  perform 
many  acts  like  those  of  a  human  being. 

The  orang-outang  is  found  in  the 
warm  parts  of  Asia.  It  makes  its 
home  in  the  tops  of  trees,  where  it 
forms  nests  or  seats  by  weaving  the 
branches  together.  Its  arms  are  long 
and  strong  and  are  adapted  for  climb- 
ing. When  angry  it  is  exceedingly 
168 


fierce,  but  a  young  orang-outang  is 
gentle,  and  like  the  chimpanzee  may 
be  easily  trained. 

The  baboon  is  sometimes  called 
"  the  dog-headed  monkey "  because 
its  head  is  much  like  that  of  a  dog. 
Baboons  live  in  large  bands  and  to- 
gether make  a  fierce  attack  upon  any 
enemy  that  comes  against  them. 

While  all  the  animals  of  this  group 
may  be  spoken  of  as  monkeys;  yet 
this  term  is  usually  given  to  the 
smaller  members.  These  active  little 
creatures  live  in  the  tree  tops  and 
feed  on  fruit,  nuts,  insects,  and  small 
birds.  Some  of  them  use  their  tails  to 
169 


aid  them  in  climbing  trees  and  in 
swinging  from  bough  to  bough.  The 
tail  seems  to  answer  the  purpose  of  a 
fifth  hand  and  is  used  in  many  ways. 


170 


THICK-SKINNED  ANIMALS 


PUTTING  A  BABY  ELEPHANT  TO  BED 


It  was  getting  dark  in  the  big  circus 
tent,  and  Nellie  kept  close  to  her  father 
as  they  walked  across  the  great  ring 
where  the  animals  performed.  In  the 
animals'  tent  a  gasoline  light  fluttered 
and  smoked  in  the  wind. 

11  You're  just  in  time,"  said  the 
circus  man. 

In  one  corner  of  the  tent  were  sev- 
eral elephants.  One  mother  elephant 
had  a  baby  elephant  not  much  taller 
than  Nellie. 

in       J 


"  She'll  put  her  baby  to  bed  pretty 


soon/7    said    the    circus    man. 


She 


always  does  before  it's  time  to  go 
into  the  ring  for  the  evening  perform- 
ance." 

Nellie  and  her  father  sat  down  on 
a  bale  of  straw  and  watched  the  great 
gray  beasts  as  they  ate  their  supper. 

Presently  the  mother  elephant  put 
her  trunk  around  the  baby's  neck,  and 
seemed  to  whisper  to  him  as  he  rubbed 
his  head  against  her  knee.  He  stood 
still  a  moment,  then  raised  his  head, 
flapped  his  little  ears,  and  trotted  off 
j  by  his  mother's  side  to  a  corner  of 
the  pen. 

"^         174 


There  she  left  him  and  went  to  a 
pile  of  ha}7  near  by.  She  took  up 
bunch  after  bunch  of  it  with  her  trunk 
and  spread  it  round  her  baby.  The 
baby  did  not  once  stir  from  the  spot 
where  she  had  left  him. 

When  the  hay  was  all  spread,  the 
mother  began  to  tread  it  down  with 
her  feet.  Then  she  went  to  the  farther 
side  of  the  pen  and  fumbled  about  the 
ground  with  her  trunk. 

This  time  she  stood  outside  the 
baby's  bed,  and  blew  a  cloud  of  fine 

dust  into  the  folds  of  his  skin,  till  he 

I 

was  thoroughly  powdered  for  the  night. 
.    After  a  few  soft  pats  and  a  few  soft 
175 


grunts  from  his  mother,  the  baby  lay 
still  and  was  soon  fast  asleep. 

But  Mamma  Elephant's  work  was  not 
yet  done.  She  took  up  hay  in  her 
trunk  and  tossed  it  lightly  along  the 
baby's  sides  and  back  until  he  was 
entirely  covered. 

"What  did  she  do  all  that  for?" 
asked  Nellie. 

"  In  the  elephant's  home  in  India 
and  Africa/7  replied  her  father,  "  there 
are  many  big  snakes  which  might 
harm  the  little  one.  In  the  forest 
she  makes  the  baby's  bed  of  grass 
and  leaves  and  treads  it  down  to 
make  sure  there  are  no  snakes  hidden 
176 


in  it.  When  she  makes  the  bed  of 
hay  in  this  country  she  does  the 
same  thing.  She  blew  dust  on  him 
because  in  their  home  insects  get 
into  the  tender  folds  of  the  baby's 
skin  and  bite  him ;  the  dust  keeps 
them  out.  And  the  mother  covered 
him  up  so-  that  no  hunter  could  find 
him.  In  their  own  home  she  would 
have  covered  him  with  leaves,  sticks, 
and  grass. " 

177 


THE  DOCTOR  AND  THE  ELEPHANT 

Jack  had  run  a  thorn  into  his  foot 
and  it  pained  him  so  that  he  could 
hardly  step.  But  when  Uncle  Henry 
wanted  to  cut  the  thorn'  out,  Jack 
said,  "  No/'  for  he  was  afraid  the 
sharp  knife  would  hurt. 

"  I  shall  have  to  tell  you  a  story 
about  an  elephant/'  said  Uncle  Henry. 

Jack  loved  stories ;  so,  forgetting  his 
sore  foot,  he  sat  down  to  listen. 

"Hebe  was  a  fine  big  elephant/' 
began  Uncle  Henry,  "  worth  a  great 

178 


deal  of  money  to  her  owner.  In 
some  way  she  stepped  upon  a  nail  or 
a  sharp  piece  of  iron,  which  worked 
into  the  tender  part  of  her  foot  and 
festered.  Poor  Hebe  was  nearly  wild 
with  pain. 

"  A  doctor  was  sent  for,  and  when 
he  came,  he  'found  Hebe  swinging  the 
hurt  foot  and  making  loud  cries.  He 
was  afraid  to  go  near  her,  for  he 
knew  that  she  could  easily  kill  him, 
but  the  keeper  told  him  not  to  fear, 
as  the  great  animal  would  not  hurt 
him.  Very  carefully  the  doctor  took 
hold  of  the  injured  foot  to  examine 
it. 

179 


"  '  I  shall  have  to  cut,  and  cut 
-deep/  the  doctor  said  after  he  had 
-looked  at  it. 

"  The  keeper  said  some  strange  words 
to  the  elephant  and  then  called  out, 
i  Cut  away.7 " 

"And  did  he  cut?"  asked  Jack. 

"  Yes,  but  the  first  cut  was  not 
enough,  and  he  asked  the  keeper, 
'  Shall  I  cut  again  ?  7 

"  '  Cut  again,7  was  the  answer. 

"This  time  he  reached  the  abscess. 
Hebe  gave  a  long  sigh  of  relief  and 
stood  still  while  the  doctor  sprayed 
and  bound  up  her  foot.77 

"I    know    what    you    mean,77    said 

180 


Jack.  "  I  suppose  a  boy  ought  to  be 
as  brave  as  an  elephant.  You  may 
take  out  the  thorn.'7 

When  this  had  been  done  and  the 
sore  place  dressed,  Uncle  Henry  said, 
"  Now  I  will  tell  you  the  last  part  of 
the  story.  A  year  and  a  half  later  the 
doctor  happened  to  be  where  Hebe  was 
and  asked  about  his  patient. 

"  '  She  is  well  and  happy/  her 
keeper  told  him.  <  Come  in  and  see 
her.7 

"  The  doctor  wondered  if  she  would 

know  him.     At  first  the  big  elephant 

did   not  notice   him,  then    she   looked 

at    him    steadily    and    with    interest. 

181 


Next  she  reached  out  her  trunk  and 
touched  his  shoulder  and  hair.  Then 
she  slowly  lifted  her  great  foot,  now 
healed  and  sound,  and  showed  it  to 
him  as  if  to  say,  '  You  see,  I  remem- 
ber very  well  what  you  did  for  me.' ' 


182 


THICK-SKINNED  ANIMALS 

elephant  hippopotamus 

rhinoceros  swine 

Although  the  animals  of  this  group 
differ  greatly  in  size  and  shape,  the}7 
are  alike  in  some  respects.  Their 
bodies  are  heavy  and  are  covered  with 
a  tough,  thick  skin.  They  usually  live 
near  ponds  or  streams  and  spend  much 
of  their  time  wallowing  in  the  mud  or 
standing  in  the  water. 

The  elephant  is  the  largest  known 
animal.      It   has  a  heavy  body,   stout 
legs,  a  large  head,  and  a  long  trunk. 
183 


On  each  side  of  the  trunk  are  two 
short  horns  called  tusks.  From  these 
tusks  fine  ivory  is  obtained.  The  trunk 
serves  the  elephant  in  many  ways.  By 
means  of  it  the  big  animal  can  reach 
into  the  branches  of  trees  to  pick  nuts 
and  fruit;  with  it  the  elephant  breathes 
and  smells ;  water  is  sucked  through  it 
and  poured  down  the  huge  throat ;  it 
serves  as  a  hand  in  picking  a  blade 
of  grass,  in  carrying  heavy  loads,  and 
in  uprooting  trees.  Elephants  can  be 
taught  to  work  and  are  often  given 
tasks  where  great  strength  is  required. 
They  live  in  Southern  Asia  and  in 
Africa. 

184 


The  rhinoceros  has  one  and  some- 
times two  horns,  extending  upward 
from  the  nose  or  upper  lip.  The  skin 
of  this  animal  is  so  thick  that  only 
large  and  heavy  bullets  will  pierce  it. 
Like  many  other  animals  living  in  hot 
countries,  it  sleeps  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  day  and  goes  in  search  of 
food  during  the  cool  of  the  evening. 

The  hippopotamus  is  a  huge,  un- 
wieldy creature  sometimes  measuring 
fourteen  feet  in  length.  It  lives  in 
Africa,  where  it  is  found  in  the  river 
courses  and  along  the  muddy  banks. 
Its  food  consists  chiefly  of  grass  and 
water  plants,  which  it  consumes  in 
185 


great  quantities.  The  mother  hippo- 
potamus carries  her  little  one  on  her 
neck  when  swimming  and  diving. 

The  swine  or  hog  once  lived  in  a 
wild  state  in  the  woods  of  Europe  and 
Asia.  Now  it  is  one  of  our  valuable 
domestic  animals.  It  eats  both  vege- 
table and  animal  food.  By  means  of 
a  projection  on  its  snout  it  digs  roots 
from  the  ground.  Its  flesh  is  used  for 
food ;  from  its  bristles  fine  brushes  are 
made. 

186 


CUD  CHEWERS 


ZARA,  THE  CAMEL 

Zara  was  a  young  camel,  very  young 
indeed  she  sometimes  seemed,  although 
she  was  nearly  as  large  as  her  mother. 
For  four  years  she  had  played  in  an 
awkward  way  around  the  little  village 
in  Arabia  where  her  owner  lived. 

Some  changes  had  come  in  the  last 
two  months.  She  was  not  allowed  to 
run  around  so  much.  Her  master  had 
begun  training  her,  teaching  her  to 
kneel  down  when  he  said  a  certain 
word,  and  to  remain  on  the  ground 
until  a  load  was  strapped  upon  her 
189 


back.  At  first  Zara  refused  to  carry 
the  load,  but  after  much  coaxing  she 
was  made  to  go  a  little  distance. 

11  We  will  take  her  with  us  on 
our  next  journey/'  said  her  master. 
u  She  is  old  enough  now  to  do  some 
work." 

Zara  was  then  put  with  the  other 
camels,  and  for  several  days  they  were 
given  all  the  food  they  could  eat,  un- 
til the  humps  on  their  backs  became 
much  larger. 

Then  one  day  the  owner  came  to 
look  at  them.  "  The  camels  are  in 
fine  shape/7  he  said.  "  I  never  saw 
them  look  better.  See  how  fat  they 

190 


are  and  how  large  their  humps  are. 
They  can  go  many  days  without  food. 
We  will  start  to-night  It  is  too  hot 
to  travel  in  the  daytime." 

That  afternoon  when  the  loading 
began,  all  the  camels  knelt  as  Zara 
had  been  taught  to  do.  "  We  will 
not  put  a  heavy  load  on  this  one," 
said  the  master  as  he  patted  Zara's 
head.  "  She  is  a  young  camel.  This 
is  her  first  trip." 

That  night  as  soon  as  the  moon 
rose  -they  started.  Away  they  went 
in  a  long  line  across  the  sand.  Zara, 
loaded  with  two  precious  bags  of  water, 
followed  close  behind  her  mother. 
191 


Next  morning  a  stop  was  made; 
the  loads  were  taken  from  the  camels 
and  they  were  allowed  to  rest.  This 
was  not  like  playing  around  the  vil- 
lage with  the  other  young  camels,  and 
Zara  began  to  wish  that  she  were 
back  at  home.  But  she  was  a  grown- 
up camel  now ;  at  least  so  her  master 
had  said,  and  she  could  not  always 
play. 

Three  nights  they  traveled  and 
three  days  they  rested.  Then  the 
master  said:  "  We  shall  reach  one  of 
the  wells  to-morrow.  There  we  can 
fill  the  bags  again,  and  the  camels 
can  have  water." 

192 


Next  morning  when  they  stopped, 
one  of  the  men  said :  "  Here  is  the 
well,  but  I  cannot  draw  any  water.  It 
is  dry." 

"  We  have  but  a  little  water  left 
in  our  bags,"  said  another.  "What 
shall  we  do?" 

"  Divide  the  water  among  the  men," 
said  the  master.  "The  camels  will 
have  to  do  without.  To-morrow  we 
shall  reach  a  well  that  is  never  dry. 
Then  the  camels  can  drink  all  they 
want." 

The  camels  were  thirsty,  for  they 
had  been  given  no  water  since  leaving 
their  home  in  the  village.  That 

193 


morning  they  wandered  about,  vainly 
trying  to  find  a  leaf  or  a  blade  of 
grass  to  eat.  About  noon,  one  of  the 
men  gave  a  loud  cry  and  pointed  to  a 
yellow  cloud  not  far  away.  Instantly 
the  camels  threw  themselves  flat  on 
the  ground,  stretched  their  long  necks 
as  far  as  possible,  and  lay  quite  still. 
The  men  lay  down  beside  them,  hid- 
ing their  faces  in  the  camels'  long 
hair;  and  there  they  stayed  until  the 
great  storm  had  passed.  For  an  hour 
the  Tiot,  stinging  sand  blew  all  aboul 
them.  With  eyes,  ears,  and  even  thei] 
noses  closed,  the  camels  waited  unti 
the  wind  ceased.  Then  they  rose 
194 


shook  the  sand  from  their  heads  and 
shaggy  coats,  and  were  ready  for  their 
journey. 

But  they  were  thirsty,  very  thirsty. 
The  older  ones  sniffed  the  air,  but 
found  no  trace  of  water. 

Early  next  morning  one  of  the  men 
called,  "This  is  the  place  of  the  well, 
for  here  are  the  trees,  but  w^here  is 
the  well?77 

"It  is  covered  with  sand/7  said  the 
master.  "  The  storm  of  yesterday  has 

• 

covered  it.     We  must  dig  for  it.77 

Anxiously  the  men  began  digging 
with  spades  and  shovels,  but  no  well 
could  be  found. 

195 


"Try  again,77  cried  the  master. 
"We  must  have  water  or  we  shall 
die.77 

Again  the  men  tried,  and  again  they 
found  only  the  soft,  shifting  sand. 

"It  is  of  no  use,77  said  the  men. 
"  We  cannot  find  it.  We  must  go  on. 
Perhaps  the  camels  can  find  water 
for  us.77 

Poor  Zara  was  nearly  dead,  but 
she  was  obliged  to  go  on  with  the 
rest.  Slowly  the  line  moved  across 
the  desert.  The  camels,  with  their 
heads  hanging  low,  seemed  almost  too 
weak  to  move. 

In    the    afternoon    a    change    came 

196 


over  them.  Their  heads  were  lifted 
higher;  some  of  them  began  to  run. 
Joyful  shouts  came  from  the  men : 
"We  are  saved!  The  camels  will  find 
water!  " 

The  camels  ran  faster  and  faster. 
Even  Zara  felt  new  life  that  she  could 
not  understand. 

For  half  an  hour  the  race  continued, 
and    then    the    leaders    stopped ;    for 
there  before  them,  near  a  great  rock, 
was  a  little  stream  of  water! 
197 


THE  MOTHER  DEER  AND  HER 
LITTLE  ONE 


The  little  deer  lay  in  his  bed  of 
leaves  under  tlie  spreading  branches 
of  the  fir  tree  and  looked  out  at  the 
bright  sunshine  in  the  valley.  The 
mother  deer  stood  close  by  his  side. 
Once  in  a  while  she  stooped  to  lick 
the  spotted,  furry  coat  of  the  baby, 
then  moved  a  few  feet  away  as  if 
coaxing  him  to  come. 

After  several  trials  the  little  deer 
staggered  to  her,  his  thin  legs  seeming 
almost  too  weak  to  support  his  trem- 
bling body. 

198 


Slowly  the  mother  led  him  down 
the  valley,  stopping  every  few  steps 
while  she  ate  the  fresh  grass  or 
nibbled  the  leaves  from  the  bushes 
and  trees. 

On  the  side  of  the  hill  other  deer 
were  feeding.  Here  were  mother  deer 
w^ith  young  fawns,  and  stately  father 
deer  with  great  branching  antlers. 
As  the  mother  with  the  new  baby 
joined  the  herd,  one  or  two  deer 
stopped  feeding  long  enough  to  look 
at  them,  but  the  others  seemed  to 
take  no  notice. 

For  weeks  mother  and  fawn  roamed 
over  the  green  hills,  drinking  from 

199 


the  river  that  ran  through  the  valley, 
or  resting  in  the  shade  of  the  trees 
that  grew  along  its  edge.  The  little 
deer  wandered  by  his  mother's  side  or 
played  with  the  other  fawns  of  the  herd. 
The  days  were  long  and  pleasant 
there  on  the  shady  hillside,  but  life 
in  the  woodland  was  not  without  its 
dangers.  Once  when  the  mother  and 
fawn  had  wandered  to  the  lower  end 
of  the  valley,  the  dogs  had  chased 
them.  The  run  was  long  and  hard, 
for  the  mother  was  compelled  to 
slacken  her  pace  to  keep  with  her 
little  one,  but  at  last  the  dogs  were 
left  behind. 

200 


Another  time  a  panther  leaped  from 
a  tree  and  fastened  its  claws  and  teeth 
in  the  back  of  the  mother.  Rushing 
under  the  low  branches  of  a  tree,  she 
had  brushed  the  animal  off ;  but  it  was 
a  long  time  before  the  wounds  healed. 

When  the  fall  days  came  the  grass 
died,  the  leaves  fell  from  the  trees 
and  bushes,  and  it  was  necessary  for 
the  herd  to  separate  to  find  food. 
Then  the  mother  deer  showed  her 
young  one  how  to  find  the  tender 
roots  of  plants  under  the  soft  earth, 
and  taught  him  to  strip  the  bark 
from  the  trunks  of  young  trees. 

The  fawn  was  now  nearly  as  large 

201      x     i 


as  his  gentle  mother.  The  spots  were 
beginning  to  disappear  from  his  furry 
sides,  and  he  looked  more  like  the 
handsome  father  deer  of  the  herd. 
During  his  short  life  he  had  learned 
much  of  the  ways  of  the  woods.  He 
knew  that  some  animals  were  friends 
of  deer  but  that  others  were  bitter 
enemies.  His  keen  senses  of  smell 
and  hearing  warned  him  when  any  foe 
was  near  and  his  swift  feet  had  many 
times  carried  him  far  from  danger. 

One  night,  ae  the  two  deer  were 
lying  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  they 
heard  a  strange  noise  in  the  valley. 
Both  raised  their  heads  and  listened. 


202 


Again  the  sound  came,  this  time  a 
long,  low  howl.  The  mother  well 
knew  what  this  meant;  it  was  the 
cry  of  a  pack  of  wolves  who  some- 
times came  there  to  hunt.  She 
sprang  quickly  to  her  feet,  and, 
closely  followed  by  the  young  one, 
she  dashed  through  the  bushes.  The 
howling  of  the  wolves  became  louder. 
The  pack  were  on  the  trail,  coming 
closer  and  closer! 

Faster  and  faster  the  deer  ran,  leap- 
ing over  rocks  and  bushes,  bounding 
over  ditches  and  fallen  logs;  but 
nearer  and  nearer  came  the  Hungry 
pack  of  wolves. 

203 


The  young  one  began  to  grow  tired. 
He  had  not  the  strength  of  his 
mother  and  could  not  endure  the 
long  run.  She  saw  that  he  was  going 
slower,  and  that  the  leader  of  the 
pack  was  almost  up  to  him.  Unless 
she  could  save  him  she  knew  that  in 
a  moment  the  cruel  teeth  of  the  leader 
would  be  fastened  into  his  sides. 

Suddenly  she  turned  and  ran  straight 
toward  the  river.  The  young  one  fol- 
lowed, and  close  behind  him  came  the 
greedy  pack. 

A  few  more  leaps  and  the  mother 
had  reached  the  sandy  shore ;  then 
she  gave  a  great  bound  that  took  her 

204 


far  out  into  the  water.  A  moment 
more,  and  the  young  one  was  with 
her,  swimming  toward  the  other  side ; 
while  behind,  on  the  river's  bank,  a 
pack  of  hungry  wolves  howled  at 
them  and  snarled  at  each  other. 


205 


CUD  CHEWERS 

cow  deer  bison 

sheep  camel  antelope 

goat  giraffe  reindeer 

Cud  chewers  have  no  front  teeth  on 
the  upper  jaw,  but  their  other  teeth 
are  large  and  strong.  They  have 
cloven  hoofs;  that  is,  their  hoofs  are 
divided  into  two  parts.  Instead  of 
one  stomach,  these  animals  have  four. 
The  food  passes  into  the  first  stomach 
without  being  chewed;  after  passing 
through  the  second  stomach  it  re- 
turns to  the  mouth,  and  the  animal 

206 


"  chews  its  cud."  After  being  chewed 
for  some  time  the  food  passes  to  the 
third  and  fourth  stomachs. 

The  cow  is  one  of  the  most  useful 
animals.  It  gives  milk  from  which 
butter  and  cheese  are  made.  When 
it  is  killed,  its  flesh  is  called  beef ; 
the  fat  is  made  into  candles  and 
soap ;  the  skin  is  tanned  and  made 
into  leather  for  boots  and  shoes ;  glue 
is  made  from  the  hoofs;  from  the 
horns  are  made  buttons,  combs,  and  the 
handles  of  knives  and  forks ;  the  hair 
is  mixed  with  lime  to  make  mortar. 

The  sheep  is  about  the  size  of  a 
207 


large  dog.  Its  body  is  covered  with 
a  thick  coat  of  wool,  which  keeps  the 
sheep  warm  during  the  winter  months. 
In  the  spring  the  owner  cuts  the  wool 
off  so  that  the  sheep  will  not  suffer 
from  heat  during  the  summer.  This 
wool  is  sent  to  the  factory,  where  it 
is  woven  into  cloth.  From  the  sheep's 
skin,  soft  leather  is  made. 

The  goat  is  much  like  the  sheep,  but 
instead  of  being  covered  with  wool  it 
has  a  thick  coat  of  hair.  Fine  cloth 
and  beautiful  shawls  are  sometimes 
made  from  this  hair.  In  some  places 
the  people  drink  the  milk  of  the  goat 
or  make  butter  and  cheese  from  it. 
208 


Its  skin  is  made  into  fine  leather 
from  which  shoes  and  gloves  are 
manufactured.  Goats  can  climb  up 
the  rocky  sides  of  hills  and  mountains 
where  few  other  animals  can  go. 

The  deer  is  not  so  large  as  the  cow. 
The  father  deer  has  fine  horns  or  an- 
tlers ;  these  drop  off  every  year  and 
new  ones  grow.  The  deer  is  timid 
and  is  a  swift  runner. 

The  camel  is  called  "the  ship  of 
the  desert.77  Instead  of  hard,  horny 
hoofs  it  has  broad,  flat  feet  that  do 
not  sink  into  the  soft  sand.  It  can 
carry  a  heavy  load  and  can  go  long 
distances  without  food  or  water.  Be- 
209 


fore  starting  on  a  long  journey  it  is 
given  a  large  quantity  of  food.  This 
causes  the  hump  on  its  back  to  be- 
come much  larger.  When  it  is  out 
in  the  desert  and  no  food  is  to  be 
had,  the  fat  from  this  hump  is  ab- 
sorbed into  the  body.  It  lives  in  the 
deserts  of  Asia  and  Africa. 

The  giraffe  is  found  in  South  Africa. 
Its  long  neck  enables  it  to  feed  on  the 
tender  leaves  of  trees.  It  defends  it- 
self by  rapid  kicks  with  its  hind  legs. 
These  kicks  are  so  powerful  that  the 
giraffe  is  sometimes  able  to  drive  away 
even  a  lion. 

Great  herds  of  bison,  or  buffaloes, 
210 


as  they  are  called,  once  roamed  over 
the  western  plains  of  America,  but 
such  large  numbers  of  them  have  been 
killed  by  hunters  that  only  a  few  re- 
main. The  wigwams  of  the  Indians 
were  often  made  from  the  hides  of 
these  animals. 

The  antelope  of  America  is  called 
the  Rocky  Mountain  sheep  or  goat. 
In  many  respects  it  resembles  the 
deer,  but  differs  from  it  in  the  shape 
of  its  horns. 

The   reindeer   is   found   in  the  cold 

lands  of  the  north.     It  is   used   as   a 

beast  of  burden  and  taught  to  draw  a 

sledge  with  a  heavy  load.     Its  flesh  is 

211 


used  for  meat  and  from  its  skin  warm 
clothing  is  made. 

Other  animals  belonging  to  this 
group  are  the  moose,  elk,  llama, 
chamois,  and  musk  ox. 


212 


THE  HORSE  FAMILY 


i 


BUCEPHALUS 

Bucephalus,  the  most  famous  horse 
ever  lived,  belonged  to  Alexan- 
der the  Great. 

He  had  been  raised  by  a  man  who 
loved  beautiful  horses.  For  a  long 
time  the  man  kept  the  horse  because 
no  one  would  pay  the  high  price  he 
asked.  At  last  the  king,  Alexander's 
father,  heard  of  it  and  asked  that 
Bucephalus  be  brought  to  the  palace. 

So  one  morning  the  owner  led  the 
horse  into  the  palace  grounds.  The 
king  and  all  his  nobles  crowded 

215 


round  to  look  at  it.  Never  before 
had  such  a  beautiful  animal  been 
seen. 

"Behold  this  wonderful  horse/7 
said  the  owner.  "Is  he  not  splen- 
did? He  is  fit  for  a  king." 

"He  is  pleasing  to  look  at,"  re- 
plied the  king.  "  I  should  like  to 
own  him;  but  first  I  would  see  one 
of  my  men  ride  him." 

A  man  from  the  stables  approached 
the  horse  and  attempted  to  mount 
him.  Bucephalus  reared  upon  his 
hind  feet,  and  the  man  was  thrown 
off.  Another  man  tried,  this  time 
one  of  the  finest  riders  in  the  king- 


doin.  Again  the  horse  refused  to 
carry  any  one  on  his  back.  Others 
tried  with  the  same  result. 

"Take  the  horse  away,"  said  the 
king.  "  He  is  vicious.  No  one  can 
ride  him." 

Now,  the  boy  Alexander  was  stand- 
ing by  his  father's  side  and  had 
been  eagerly  watching  all  that  oc- 
curred. 

"  Oh,  Father,"  he  cried,  "  don't 
send  such  a  beautiful  horse  away. 
Those  men  do  not  know  how  to  man- 
age him." 

The  king  was  surprised  at  the  boy. 
"  Do  you  think  you  know  more  than 
217 


these  older  and  wiser  men  ? "  he 
asked. 

"I  may  not  be  wiser  than  they/7 
replied  the  boy,  "but  I  know  I  could 
ride  this  horse.77 

The  king  and  his  nobles  laughed 
loudly  at  this. 

11  Please  let  me  try,77  begged  Alex- 
ander. "If  I  fail  I  will  pay  you  the 
price  of  the  horse.77 

Then  Alexander  went  up  to  Buceph- 
alus and  taking  him  by  the  bridle 
turned  his  face  toward  the  sun  so 
that  he  could  not  see  his  own 
shadow.  The  boy  had  noticed  that 
the  horse  seemed  afraid  whenever  he 

218 


saw  his  shadow  on  the  ground. 
Alexander  petted  him  and  spoke 
gently  to  him.  Then  suddenly  he 
leaped  upon  his  back.  Bucephalus 
seemed  surprised;  he  made  one  effort 
to  throw  his  young  rider,  then  turn- 
ing he  ran  swiftly  down  the  road. 
When  the  end  of  the  course  was 
reached,  Alexander  turned  the  horse 
around  and  rode  him  back  to  the 
place  where  his  father  was  anxiously 
waiting. 

"Well    done,    my    son ! "    cried    the 

king.     "  The  horse  shall  be  yours,  for 

you  have  conquered  him.      You  have 

shown    that    you    should    have    large 

219 

C 


dominions  to  rule.  I  fear  my  little 
kingdom  will  be  too  small  for  you.77 

Bucephalus  served  Alexander  for 
many  years.  The  horse  would  not 
allow  any  one  but  Alexander  to  ride 
him.  If  a  groom  tried  to  mount  him, 
back  would  go  his  ears,  and  up  would 
go  his  heels. 

He  went  with  his  master  through 
many  wars  and  at  last  died  of  old 
age.  Alexander  grieved  for  his  faith- 
ful friend.  He  caused  a  fine  funeral 
to  be  made  in  his  honor  and  placed 
over  his  grave  a  large  monument 
bearing  the  one  word : 

BUCEPHALUS 

220 


THE  STORY    OF  A  DONKEY 

Some  time  ago,  there  was  a  poor 
man  in  Spain  who  made  a  living  by 
selling  milk.  He  lived  in  the  country 
and  sold  his  milk  in  the  town.  Every 
day  he  carried  the  milk  to  the  houses 
of  the  people,  just  as  the  milkmen  do 
in  this  country.  He  had  a  long  way 
to  go  and  many  days  he  came  home 
very  tired. 

One  day  he  said  to  his  wife:  "I 
must  have  some  help  with  my  work. 
The  load  is  too  heavy  for  me  to 
carry.7' 

221 


"If  you  only  bad  a  donkey/'  said 
his  wife,  "  he  could  carry  the  milk 
bottles  for  you." 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "a  donkey  would 
be  a  great  help  to  me ;  but  how  am  I 
to  get  one?  We  have  no  money  to 
spare." 

They  often  talked  about  the  donkey, 
and  at  last  made  up  their  minds  to 
save  every  penny  they  could  to  buy 
one. 

The  milkman  worked  harder  than 
ever.  Every  day  he  put  away  a 
little  money  until  at  last  the  donkey 
was  bought. 

It  was  a  happy  day  for  the  poor 
222 


man  when  he  brought  the  animal 
home  and  showed  him  to  the  family. 
The  children  were  delighted.  They 
gathered  around  him,  called  him  all 
kinds  of  pet  names,  and  patted  him 
with  their  hands.  They  thought  that 
they  had  never  seen  so  fine  a  donkey 
anywhere. 

The  milkman's  work  was  now 
much  easier,  for  the  donkey  carried 
the  bottles  of  milk  in  two  big  sacks 
which  hung  across  his  back,  while 
his  master  walked  at  his  side.  Thus 
they  were  able  to  take  out  more  milk 
to  sell,  call  at  more  houses,  and  so 
make  more  money. 
223 


The  donkey  soon  became  a  great 
pet  with  the  children;  he  was  so 
gentle  that  the  little  ones  played 
with  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  great  dog. 
,  Day  after  day  the  milkman  and  his 
/  donkey  went  their  daily  round,  and 
called  at  the  same  houses  to  sell 
milk.  In  this  way  many  months 
passed,  and  the  donkey  became  as 
well  known  as  his  master. 

One  day  the  milkman  was  not 
well,  but  he  went  his  round  and  got 
along  as  best  he  could.  That  night 
he  was  worse.  In  the  morning  he 
was  so  ill  that  he  could  not  leave 
his  bed. 

224 


What  was  to  be  done?  His  wife 
could  not  go  with  the  donkey.  She 
was  needed  at  home  to  nurse  her  sick 
husband.  None  of  the  children  could 
go;  they  were  all  too  young.  If  the 
milk  was  not  sold,  it  would  spoil  and 
be  lost.  Then,  the  milkman  knew 
that  the  people  could  not  do  without 
the  milk. 

His  wife  said :  "  We  will  send  the 
donkey  to  town  with  the  milk.  He 
is  a  clever  fellow.  The  people  will 
know  him.  They  will  help  themselves 
to  the  milk." 

Then  she  packed  the  bottles  of 
milk  in  the  large  bags  which  hung 

225 


from  the  donkey's  back.  When  all 
was  ready,  she  started  the  animal  on 
the  road  he  had  so  often  taken  with 
his  master. 

The  donkey  walked  away.  The 
milkman  had  never  used  a  whip  or 
stick  to  drive  him  along.  The  donkey 
did  not  know  why  he  was  going 
alone.  He  only  knew  that  he  had 
been  told  to  go  by  those  who  had 
always  been  kind  to  him. 

The  mother  and  children  stood  at 
the  cottage  door  and  watched  the 
donkey  out  of  sight.  Then  they  went 
inside  to  care  for  the  sick  man. 

The  donkey  marched  on,  going  just 
226 


as  fast  as  if  his  master  had  been  by 
his  side.  He  seemed  to  know  that 
he  had  the  work  to  do  alone.  He 
never  took  a  wrong  turning.  He  did 
not  stop  once  to  eat  grass  by  the 
way. 

At  last  he  reached  the  town. 
There  he  walked  straight  to  the  first 
house  at  which  his  master  sold  milk ; 
the  door  was  shut  and  no  one  came 
to  him.  Then  he  seemed  to  remem- 
ber that  his  master  pulled  the  rope 
which  hung  at  each  door.  Taking  it 
in  his  mouth,  the  donkey  gave  it  a 
pull.  The  door  opened  and  some  one 
came  out  to  him. 

227 


To  get  around  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, the  milkman  had  often  left  the 
donkey  at  one  door  while  he  went  on 
to  the  next.  So  the  people  were  used 
to  helping  themselves. 

The  woman  who  came  out  took  a 
bottle  of  milk  and  went  away  to 
empty  it.  The  donkey  waited  until 
she  brought  back  the  empty  bottle, 
and  then  he  went  on  to  the  next 
house. 

Soon  the  people  in  the  street  saw 
what  he  was  doing.  They  thought 
that  the  milkman  must  be  ill,  and 
they  were  surprised  and  pleased  to 
see  how  well  the  donkey  could  do  the 
228 


work  alone.  Some  of  them  patted 
him  and  gave  him  bread  and  cake  to 
eat. 

All  this  time  the  milkman  was 
thinking  about  the  donkey.  He  knew 
that  the  faithful  animal  would  do  his 
best.  He  did  not  think  that  any  one 
would  bother  him,  and  he  could  trust 
all  the  people  to  take  only  their  own 
milk.  He  was  afraid,  however,  that 
the  donkey  would  not  remember  all 
the  houses  at  which  he  should  call. 
Or  perhaps  he  would  return  home 
before  he  had  completed  his  round. 

But  the  donkey  knew  the  last  house 
as  well  as  the  first.  As  soon  as  he 

229 


had  called  there,  he  went  no  farther. 
Without  a  word  from  any  one  he 
turned  about  and  started  for  home. 

The  milkman  felt  a  little  better  that 
afternoon,  so  he  sat  outside  the  door 
to  watch  for  the  donkey 's  return.  He 
had  not  been  there  long,  when  he  saw 
his  faithful  servant  trotting  along  the 
road.  In  a  few  minutes  the  donkey 
had  reached  his  master. 

There  in  the  bags  were  the  empty 
bottles  all  safe  and  sound.  Not  one 
was  missing  or  broken !  The  donkey 
had,  indeed,  done  his  work  well. 


THE  HORSE  FAMILY 

horse          donkey          burro          zebra 

The  animals  of  the  horse  family 
have  one  hoofed  toe  on  each  foot. 
The  hair  on  their  bodies  is  short  and 
smooth,  but  their  manes  and  tails  are 
long  and  bushy.  They  feed  chiefly  on 
grain,  grass,  and  the  leaves  of  plants. 
When  wild  they  live  in  herds. 

The  horse  is  the  largest  domestic  ani- 
mal. It  has  a  long  body,  an  arched 
neck,  and  long,  slender  legs.  Its  ears 
are  pointed  and  its  eyes  are  large  and 
bright.  It  is  a  faithful  servant  to 
231 


J 


man  and  worthy  of  his  greatest   care 
and  protection. 

The  donkey  is  much  like  the  horse 
in  shape,  but  it  has  a  longer  and 
thicker  coat  of  hair,  and  its  ears  are 
much  larger. 

The  burro  is  smaller  than  the  'don- 
key. It  can  climb  up  the  steep  sides 
of  mountains  where  other  beasts  of  bur- 
den would  not  dare  to  go. 

The  zebra  roams  over  the  plains  of 
southern  Africa.  The  body  of  this 
beautiful  animal  is  covered  with  brown 
stripes.  It  has  long,  pointed  ears,  small 
hoofs,  and  a  long  tail.  It  is  wild  and 
extremely  difficult  to  capture. 
13.  232 


YC  49903 


575769 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRAE 


